THE 

CHARTER 

OF  THE 

CITY  of  SEATTLE 


PREPARED  AND  PROPOSED  BY  THE 
FREEHOLDERS  ELECTED 
MARCH  3, 

1914 


ELECTION:  TUESDAY,  JUNE  30,  1914 


LOWMAN  <L  HANFORD  CO.,  PRINTERS 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 
in  2018  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign  Alternates 


https://archive.org/details/charterofcityofsOOseat 


Statement  of  the  Charter  Revision 

Commission 


TO  THE  VOTERS  OF  THE  CITY  OF  SEATTLE: 

We  hereby  submit  for  your  consideration  the  pro¬ 
posed  new  charter,  framed  for  efficient  and  democratic 
municipal  government. 

In  the  preparation  of  this  charter,  the  Commission 
has  sought  information  and  suggestions  from  every 
source.  Present  and  former  city  officials  and  others 
trained  in  municipal  affairs  have  given  the  Commission 
the  benefit  of  their  experience.  The  charters  of  other 
cities,  especially  those  recently  adopted,  have  been  care¬ 
fully  examined  and  studied.  From  all  of  the  data  thus  ac¬ 
quired,  the  Commission  has  earnestly  tried  to  construct 
the  best  charter  possible.  It  has  retained  the  provisions 
of  the  present  charter  where  the  same  are  adequate  and 
where  new  ideas  are  introduced  it  has  fitted  them  to  the 
needs  of  our  own  city. 

To  enable  the  voters  to  obtain  a  comprehensive  view  of 
the  more  important  provisions  of  the  proposed  charter, 
the  following  brief  outline  is  submitted. 

A  simple  and  effective  preferential  system  of  nomina¬ 
tion  and  election  has  been  adopted.  Under  it,  primaries 
are  eliminated  and  the  voters  express,  if  they  choose,  as 
*  many  preferences  as  there  are  candidates.  The  only  elec- 
tive  officers  are  the  mayor  and  councilmen,  elections  be- 
t  ing  held  once  in  two  years.  Statutory  notice  of  election 

n  is  reduced  to  two  publications,  but  actual  notice  is  given 

o  by  mailing  sample  ballots  to  each  registered  voter  one 
week  before  the  election. 

There  will  be  a  council  of  thirty  members  elected 
from  thirty  districts,  each  district  including,  as  near  as 
^may  be  similar  community  interests  and  voting  strength. 
A  councilman  need  not  be  a  resident  of  the  district  from 
which  elected.  The  city  manager,  comptroller,  treasurer 
and  corporation  counsel  have  seats  in  the  council  with  the 
right  to  take  part  in  discussions  but  without  a  vote.  Each 
councilman  is  to  receive  five  dollars  for  each  meeting  at¬ 
tended,  not  exceeding  sixty  a  year.  The  council’s  func¬ 
tions  are  limited  strictly  to  legislation,  excepting  it  ap¬ 
points  the  city  manager,  comptroller,  treasurer,  clerk  and 
corporation  counsel  by  a  vote  under  the  preferential  sys¬ 
tem. 


4 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


The  provisions  of  the  present  charter  as  to  liquor 
licenses,  initiative  and  referendum,  recall,  minimum  wage 
and  hours  of  labor  are  retained. 

The  mayor  will  receive  a  salary  of  five  thousand  dol¬ 
lars  per  year,  will  preside  over  the  council  and  is  the 
head  of  the  police  department,  with  power  to  appoint  and 
remove  the  chief  of  police.  He  also  appoints  the  civil 
service  board,  park  board,  library  board  and  the  board  of 
public  welfare.  No  confirmation  of  his  appointments  by 
the  city  council  is  required,  and  on  the  other  hand,  he  has 
no  veto. 

A  board  of  public  welfare  is  created,  consisting  of 
three  non-salaried  commissioners  who  have  charge  of  all 
public  charitable,  correctional  and  reformatory  institu¬ 
tions  and  agencies,  but  with  no  power  or  supervision  over 
any  such  institutions  not  owned  by  the  city.  A  free  em¬ 
ployment  office  is  also  placed  under  this  board. 

The  administrative  work  of  the  city  is  placed  under 
the  city  manager,  who  is  to  receive  a  salary  of  twelve 
thousand  dollars  a  year  and  can  be  selected  from  either 
within  or  without  the  city.  The  manager  is  subject  to 
removal  by  the  city  council  upon  a  two-thirds  vote,  and  is 
also  subject  to  recall  by  the  people.  Under  the  city  man¬ 
ager  are  the  divisions  of  engineering,  public  utilities, 
streets  and  sewers,  water  works,  lighting,  building,  fire 
protection,  health  and  sanitation  and  contracts,  pur¬ 
chases  and  supplies  and  such  other  administrative  divi¬ 
sions  as  may  be  created  by  the  council.  The  last  named 
is  a  new  division  which  will  have  charge  of  making  all 
purchases  for  every  department  of  the  city  and  of  as¬ 
sembling  data,  and  advertising,  for  all  contracts.  The 
city  council  may,  upon  recommendation  of  the  manager, 
discontinue  any  division  or  combine  any  two  or  more  di¬ 
visions. 

A  board  of  awards  and  adjustments  is  created,  con¬ 
sisting  of  the  city  manager,  comptroller  and  corporation 
counsel.  This  board  awards  all  contracts,  adjusts  and 
certifies  for  payment  all  bills,  pay  rolls  and  claims,  and 
hears  applications  for  certain  permits,  such  as  for  the 
erection  of  stables,  laundries,  etc. 

There  is  a  department  of  audits  and  accounts,  of 
which  the  city  comptroller  is  the  head.  It  keeps  the  ac¬ 
counts  for  all  departments  and  has  general  supervision 
over  the  city’s  financial  affairs.  The  comptroller  is  also 
secretary  of  the  board  of  awards  and  adjustments. 

The  law  department  and  department  of  finance  have 
practically  the  same  duties  as  under  the  present  charter. 

Work  on  any  local  or  other  public  improvement  may 
be  done  either  by  day  labor  under  the  direction  of  the 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


5 


manager  or  by  contract.  All  purchases  of  supplies  and 
materials  in  excess  of  three  hundred  dollars  must  be  let, 
after  advertising,  to  the  lowest  bidder. 

An  annual  budget  must  be  made  by  every  depart¬ 
ment  and  submitted  to  the  board  of  awards  and  adjust¬ 
ments,  whose  duty  it  is  to  submit  as  complete  a  budget 
as  possible  to  the  city  council.  The  budget  adopted  by 
the  council  is  to  be  the  basis  for  the  expenditures  for  the 
ensuing  year  and  no  deficiencies  can  be  created  except 
in  case  of  extraordinary  emergency,  and  then  only  by 
a  four-fifths  vote  of  the  entire  city  council.  Any  officer 
of  the  city  allowing  an  overdraft  of  any  budget  fund  is 
made  personally  liable  therefor. 

The  total  tax  levy  for  any  one  year  for  all  purposes,  ex¬ 
cept  for  the  payment  of  the  interest  and  principal  of  the 
general  bonded  indebtedness  of  the  city,  shall  not  exceed 
twelve  mills  on  each  dollar  of  the  assessed  valuation  of 
property  in  the  city. 

Provision  is  made  for  an  efficient  civil  service,  pro¬ 
viding  for  selection  and  promotion  on  the  merit  system. 
Transfers  of  employes  may  be  made  from  one  depart¬ 
ment  to  another  and  effective  provisions  for  removal  of 
inefficient  employes  are  made. 

The  present  franchise  requirements  are  retained, 
excepting  that  the  provisions  relative  to  new  franchises 
are  not  made  retroactive  and  a  section  is  added  requiring 
the  putting  in  of  a  joint  user  clause  in  all  steam  railroad 
franchises  hereafter  granted.  An  alternate  proposition 
is  submitted  allowing  extensions  in  residence  districts  on 
other  than  trunk  or  canyon  route  lines,  without  the  in¬ 
sertion  in  the  franchise,  if  the  council  so  sees  fit,  of  the 
common  user  clause  or  the  provision  for  the  revocation 
of  the  franchise.  Before  becoming  effective,  this  al¬ 
ternate  proposition  must  receive  a  majority  of  the  votes 
cast. 

The  charter  allows  the  establishment  of  a  city  of¬ 
ficial  paper  to  contain  proceedings  required  by  law  to  be 
published,  but  nothing  of  a  political  nature  nor  anything 
else  shall  be  published  therein  unless  it  pertains  strictly 
to  the  city’s  business. 

The  mayor  and  councilmen  are  elected  for  terms  of 
two  years.  The  appointive  officers  hold  for  terms  of  four 
years  unless  sooner  removed. 

The  provisions  in  regard  to  the  park  and  library 
boards  are  similar  to  those  in  the  present  charter,  except¬ 
ing  that  the  library  board  is  reduced  to  five  members. 

The  charter  will  take  effect  March  15,  1915,  upon  the 
election  and  qualification  of  a  mayor  and  councilmen.  All 
other  officers  and  employes  hold  office  until  their  succes- 


6 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


sors  are  appointed  and  qualified  under  the  provisions  of 
the  charter.  It  is  the  express  intention  to  continue  the 
existing  city  government  to  March  15,  1915,  except  in 
matters  relating  to  nominations  and  elections,  which  are 
in  force  on  and  after  January  1,  1915. 

The  principal  reasons  governing  the  Commission  in 
making  this  charter  and  the  results  hoped  to  be  obtained 
from  the  adoption  thereof  are  briefly  as  follows: 

The  charter  seeks  to  separate  the  policy  making  or 
political  side  of  the  city  government  from  the  administra¬ 
tive  or  business  side.  It  recognizes  the  fact  that  in  the 
most  successfully  governed  cities,  the  best  policy  making 
bodies  are  composed  of  citizens  who  donate  their  services 
for  the  welfare  of  the  community  and  whose  only  reward 
is  the  honor  of  the  position.  Notable  examples  in  Seattle 
are  the  park  board,  library  board  and  school  board. 
Therefore,  the  pay  of  the  city  council  is  fixed  at  a  nom¬ 
inal  figure  and  the  other  boards,  such  as  the  park  board, 
library  board  and  civil  service  commission  will  serve 
without  pay.  On  the  other  hand,  in  the  administrative  or 
business  side  of  the  government,  where  the  entire  time 
of  the  men  engaged  must  be  given,  the  work  can  be  best 
done  by  trained  experts  receiving  adequate  salaries. 
These  men  should  be  selected  for  their  ability,  knowl¬ 
edge  and  integrity  and  the  Commission  realizes  that  while 
the  voters  generally,  if  they  could  secure  accurate  knowl¬ 
edge  of  the  fitness  of  the  candidates  for  administrative 
positions,  would  probably  make  wise  selections,  yet  their 
opportunity  of  making  investigations  of  such  candidates, 
is  so  limited  that  it  is  thought  better  to  have  such  ex¬ 
pert  administrators  appointed.  It  is  also  important  that 
administrative  officers  do  not  become  involved  in  political 
campaigns,  and  it  is  further  true  that  as  a  rule  trained 
experts  will  not  become  candidates  for  elective  office. 

A  system  of  district  representation  for  the  legislative 
body  is  adopted  because  it  is  more  representative  of  all 
classes  of  our  citizens.  The  voters  will  have  a  better 
opportunity  to  become  acquainted  with  their  district 
representative  and  in  case  he  does  not  follow  their  wishes 
it  is  much  easier  to  apply  the  recall.  In  a  city  as  large  as 
Seattle,  very  few  voters  can  become  acquainted  with  the 
various  candidates  for  the  council  where  they  are  elected 
at  large  and  as  a  result  men  can  only  be  elected  at  large 
through  powerful  newspaper  support  or  the  expenditure 
of  much  money.  The  proposed  district  system  is  not  to 
be  compared  with  conditions  under  the  old  ward  system, 
as  since  the  ward  system  was  in  vogue  great  changes  have 
taken  place.  The  party  boss  and  ward  caucuses  no  longer 
exist  but  instead  the  electors  will  vote  directly  for  the 
candidates  under  a  non-partisan  preferential  system. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Some  question  might  be  raised  as  to  the  ability  of  a 
large  council  to  agree  on  appointments,  but  under  the 
method  of  preferential  voting  required  for  the  filling  of 
positions  by  the  council  there  can  be  no  deadlock  as  is 
the  case  now. 

Under  the  new  system,  instead  of  having  a  primary 
and  final  election  each  year,  there  will  be  but  one  election 
each  two  years,  thus  saving  three-fourths  of  the  cost  of 
the  present  system.  The  dispensing  with  the  useless  pub¬ 
lished  notice  of  election  and  the  substitution  of  actual 
notice  in  the  form  of  sample  ballots  mailed  to  each  regis¬ 
tered  voter  will  give  effectual  notice  of  the  men  and  meas¬ 
ures  to  be  voted  upon. 

By  placing  the  police  department  under  the  mayor, 
the  ever  recurring  police  question  is  divorced  from  the 
administrative  side  of  the  city  government  and  the 
service  of  an  able  manager  will  not  be  lost  on  account  of 
political  questions  arising  from  the  enforcement  or  non¬ 
enforcement  of  police  laws.  If  the  people  do  not  agree 
with  the  policy  of  the  mayor  on  police  questions  they  can 
recall  him  or  elect  a  new  one  without  disturbing  the  gen¬ 
eral  business  affairs  of  the  city. 

The  changes  provided  in  the  civil  service  provisions 
will  give  a  better  opportunity  for  the  able,  industrious 
employe  to  advance  and  at  the  same  time  allow  the  de¬ 
partment  heads  to  weed  out  the  inefficient  and  with  the 
power  given  to  transfer  men  from  one  department  to  an¬ 
other  as  the  need  arises,  will  allow  better  work  to  be 
done  at  less  cost. 

We  believe  that  the  majority  of  the  people  of  this 
city  want  democracy  and  efficiency  combined,  aad  that 
the  form  of  government  proposed  by  this  charter  gives 
the  voters  full  control  over  the  policies  of  the  city  and 
the  opportunity,  if  these  policies  are  not  properly  carried 
out,  to  fix  the  responsibility  therefor  and  to  make  the 
necessary  change.  The  form  proposed  is  composed  of  the 
best  features  we  found  in  scientific  and  successful  modern 
municipal  governments.  It  is  not  a  panacea  for  all  ills 
of  city  government  but  with  the  cooperation  of  the  voters 
of  this  city  it  is  a  long  step  forv/ard  to  a  more  efficient 
business  government  and  more  perfect  democracy. 


s 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


Sections 

Powers  of  City . 1-2 

Districts  .  3-7 

Nominations  and  Elections . .  8-25 

Recall  . . 26 

Council  . 27-50 

Initiative  and  Referendum . 51-57 

City  Clerk  . 58-59 

Mayor  .  60-63 

Police  Department  . 64-67 

Department  of  Public  Welfare .  68 

Free  Employment  Office .  69 

Department  of  Parks  and  Recreation .  70-73 

Library  Department .  74-75 

Administrative  Department  . 76-88 

City  Manager  . 76-77 

Division  of  Contracts,  Purchases  and  Supplies .  79 

Division  of  Engineering .  80 

Division  of  Public  Utilities .  81 

Division  of  Streets  and  Sewers .  82 

Division  of  Water  Works . 83 

Division  of  Lighting .  84 

Division  of  Buildings . 85 

Board  of  Appeals . ! .  85 

Division  of  Fire  Protection .  86 

Division  of  Health  and  Sanitation .  87 

Department  of  Audits  and  Accounts .  89-90 

City  Comptroller  . 89-90 

Law  Department .  91-93 

Department  of  Finance .  94-95 

Board  of  Awards  and  Adjustments .  96 

Contracts  and  Purchases .  97-104 

Budget  and  Tax  Levy .  105-108 

Civil  Service  .  109-128 

Officers,  Terms  and  Salaries . 129-139 

Hours  of  Labor . .  140 

Minimum  Wage  .  141 

Art  Commission  .  142 

Local  Improvements .  143 

Franchises  .  144-145 

Liquor  Licenses .  146 

Claims  .  147-148 

City  Official  Newspaper .  149 

Tide  Lands  Streets .  150-151 

Miscellaneous  Subjects .  152-166 

Time  Charter  Takes  Effect .  166 

Amendments  .  167 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


9 


THE  CHARTER 

OF  THE 

CITY  OF  SEATTLE 


Prepared  and  Proposed  by  the  Freeholders 
Elected  March  3,  1914 


GENERAL  POWERS  OF  THE  CITY 

Section  1.  The  municipal  corporation  now  existing 
and  known  as  “The  City  of  Seattle”  shall  remain  and  con¬ 
tinue  a  body  politic  and  corporate  by  the  name  of  the 
City  of  Seattle,  and  as  such  shall  have  perpetual  succes¬ 
sion;  may  use  a  corporate  seal,  may  sue  and  be  sued,  may 
acquire  real  and  personal  property  within  and  without 
the  corporate  limits  of  the  City  of  Seattle  by  purchase, 
eminent  domain,  lease,  gift  and  devise,  and  may  sell,  con¬ 
vey,  lease,  mortgage  and  dispose  of  the  same  for  the  com¬ 
mon  benefit,  and  may  receive  bequests,  devises,  gifts  and 
donations  of  all  kinds  of  property  within  and  without 
the  city  for  its  own  use  and  benefit,  or  in  trust  for  char¬ 
itable  or  other  purposes,  with  full  power  to  carry  out  the 
purposes  of  such  trusts;  may  acquire,  construct,  own, 
lease,  operate  and  regulate  public  utilities,  conveniences 
and  industries;  may  define,  prohibit,  abate,  suppress  and 
prevent  all  things  detrimental  to  the  health,  morals,  com¬ 
fort,  safety,  convenience  and  welfare  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  city,  and  may  make  and  enforce  local,  police,  sani¬ 
tary  and  other  regulations,  and  may  do  all  things  expedi¬ 
ent  for  maintaining  and  promoting  the  peace,  good  gov¬ 
ernment,  health  and  welfare  of  the  city  and  of  the  inhab¬ 
itants  thereof,  and  for  the  performance  of  the  munic¬ 
ipal  functions.  The  city  shall  have  and  exercise  all 
powers,  functions,  rights  and  privileges  now  or  hereafter 
given  or  granted  to  incorporated  towns  and  cities  by  the 
constitution  and  laws  of  this  state,  and  shall  have  and 
exercise  all  other  powers,  functions,  rights  and  privileges 
usually  exercised  by  or  which  are  incidental  to  or  inher¬ 
ent  in  municipal  corporations  of  like  character  and  de¬ 
gree,  whether  enumerated  or  not  enumerated  in  the  con¬ 
stitution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington  or  in  this 
charter. 


10 


Cliarter  of  the  Citj  of  Seattle 


Section  2.  The  enumeration  of  particular  powers  by 
this  charter  shall  not  be  held  or  deemed  to  be  exclusive 
but  in  addition  to  the  powers  enumerated  herein,  implied 
thereby,  or  appropriate  to  the  exercise  thereof  the  city 
shall  have  and  may  exercise  all  other  powers  which  under 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington  it 
would  be  competent  for  this  charter  specifically  to  enu¬ 
merate  and  for  the  city  to  assume,  have  and  exercise. 

DISTRICTS 

Section  3.  The  City  of  Seattle  shall  be  divided  into 
thirty  councilmanic  districts,  which  shall  include  the  elec¬ 
tion  precincts  in  the  City  of  Seattle  as  they  exist  May  1, 
1914,  as  follows: 

University  District 

Precincts  one,  two,  nine,  ten,  eleven,  twelve,  thirteen 
and  eighteen. 

East  Green  Lake  District 

Precincts  nineteen,  twenty-one,  twenty-three,  twenty- 
four,  twenty-five,  twenty-six,  twenty-seven  and  twenty- 
eight. 

West  Green  Lake  District 

Precincts  twenty-nine,  thirty,  thirty-one,  thirty-two, 
thirty-three,  thirty-four  and  thirty-five. 

South  Green  Lake  District 

Precincts  three,  four,  five,  six,  seven,  eight  and 
twenty. 

>orthlake  District 

Precincts  fourteen,  fifteen,  sixteen,  seventeen,  sixty- 
four,  sixty-five  and  sixty-six. 

Woodland  District 

Precincts  twenty-two,  fifty-seven,  fifty-eight,  fifty- 
nine,  sixty,  sixty-one,  sixty-two  and  sixty-three. 

Greenwood  District 

Precincts  fifty-one,  fifty-two,  fifty-three,  fifty-four, 
fifty-five,  fifty-six  and  sixty-seven. 

Ballard  District  East 

Precincts  thirty-six,  forty,  forty-one,  forty-two,  forty- 
three,  forty-eight,  forty-nine  and  fifty. 

Ballard  District  West 

Precincts  thirty-seven,  thirty-eight,  thirty-nine,  forty- 
four,  forty-five,  forty-six  and  forty-seven. 

Lawton  District 

Precincts  sixty-nine,  seventy,  seventy-one,  seventy- 
two,  seventy-three,  seventy-four  and  seventy-eight. 


Cli alter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


11 


West  Queen  Anne  District 

Precincts  seventy-six,  seventy-seven,  seventy-nine, 
eighty,  eighty-one,  eighty-five,  eighty-six,  eighty-seven 
and  eighty-eight. 

East  Queen  Anne  District 

Precincts  sixty-eight,  seventy-five,  eighty-two,  eighty- 
three,  eighty-four,  ninety-one,  ninety-two,  ninety-four, 
ninety-five  and  ninety-eight. 

South  Queen  Anne  District 

Precincts  eighty-nine,  ninety,  ninety-six,  ninety-seven, 
ninety-nine,  one  hundred,  one  hundred  and  forty-five,  one 
hundred  and  forty-six,  one  hundred  and  forty-seven,  one 
hundred  and  forty-eight  and  one  hundred  and  forty-nine. 

Westlake  District 

Precincts  ninety-three,  one  hundred  and  twelve,  one 
hundred  and  twenty-three,  one  hundred  and  twenty-four, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-five,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
seven,  one  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  one  hundred  and 
thirty-nine,  one  hundred  and  forty-four,  one  hundred  and 
fifty,  one  hundred  and  fifty-one  and  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
two. 

North  Broadway  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  one,  one  hundred  and  two, 
one  hundred  and  three,  one  hundred  and  four,  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  five,  one  hundred  and  ten,  one  hundred  and 
eleven,  one  hundred  and  thirteen  and  one  hundred  and 
sixteen. 

East  Capitol  Hill  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  six,  one  hundred  and 
eight,  one  hundred  and  nine,  one  hundred  and  seventeen, 
one  hundred  and  eighteen,  one  hundred  and  nineteen,  one 
hundred  and  twenty,  one  hundred  and  thirty  and  one 
hundred  and  thirty-one. 

Lincoln  Park  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  fourteen,  one  hundred 
and  fifteen,  one  hundred  and  twenty-one,  one  hundred 
and  twenty-two,  one  hundred  and  twenty-six,  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty-seven,  one  hundred  and  twenty-eight, 
one  hundred  and  twenty-nine,  one  hundred  and  thirty- 
four  and  one  hundred  and  thirty-five. 

Pike  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  thirty-six,  one  hundred  • 
and  forty,  one  hundred  and  fifty-seven,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-eight,  one  hundred  and  fifty-nine,  one  hundred  and 
sixty,  one  hundred  and  sixty-one,  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
two,  one  hundred  and  sixty-three,  one  hundred  and  sixty- 
four  and  one  hundred  and  sixty-five. 


12 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


First  Hill  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  forty-one,  one  hundred 
and  forty-three,  one  hundred  and  sixty-eight,  one  hundred 
and  sixty-nine,  one  hundred  and  seventy,  one  hundred  and 
seventy-two,  one  hundred  and  seventy-three,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-four,  one  hundred  and  seventy-five,  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  seventy-six,  one  hundred  and  seventy-seven,  one 
hundred  and  seventy-eight  and  one  hundred  and  eighty- 
two. 

Pacific  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  thirty-two,  one  hundred 
and  thirty-three,  one  hundred  and  forty-two,  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  eighty-four,  one  hundred  and  eighty-five,  one 
hundred  and  eighty-six,  one  hundred  and  ninety-nine,  two 
hundred,  two  hundred  and  one,  two  hundred  and  tw^o,  two 
hundred  and  twelve  and  two  hundred  and  thirteen. 

D  alia  Walla  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  eighty-seven;  one  hun¬ 
dred  and  eighty-eight,  one  hundred  and  eighty-nine,  one 
hundred  and  ninety-five,  one  hundred  and  ninety-six,  one 
hundred  and  ninety-seven,  one  hundred  and  ninety-eight, 
two  hundred  and  three,  two  hundred  and  four,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  nine,  two  hundred  and  ten  and  two  hundred  and 
eleven. 

Lake  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  seven,  one  hundred  and 
ninety,  one  hundred  and  ninety-one,  one  hundred  and 
ninety-two,  one  hundred  and  ninety-three,  one  hundred 
and  ninety-four,  two  hundred  and  five,  two  hundred  and 
six,  two  hundred  and  seven  and  two  hundred  and  eight. 

Water  Front  District 

Precincts  one  hundred  and  fifty-three,  one  hundred 
and  fifty-four,  one  hundred  and  fifty-five,  one  hundred  and 
fifty-six,  one  hundred  and  sixty-six,  one  hundred  and 
sixty-seven,  one  hundred  and  seventy-one,  one  hundred 
and  seventy-nine,  one  hundred  and  eighty,  one  hundred 
and  eighty-one,  one  hundred  and  eighty- three,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  fourteen,  two  hundred  and  fifteen,  two  hundred 
and  sixteen,  two  hundred  and  seventeen,  two  hundred  and 
eighteen,  two  hundred  and  nineteen  and  two  hundred  and 
twenty. 

Beacon  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  twenty-one,  two  hundred 
and  twenty-two,  two  hundred  and  twenty-three,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty-four,  two  hundred  and  twenty-six,  two 
hundred  and  twenty-seven,  two  hundred  and  thirty-four, 
two  hundred  and  thirty-five,  two  hundred  and  thirty-six. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


13 


two  hundred  and  forty-two  and  two  hundred  and  forty- 
three. 

Mount  Baker  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  twenty-eight,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  twenty-nine,  two  hundred  and  thirty,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  thirty-one,  two  hundred  and  thirty-two,  two 
hundred  and  thirty-three,  two  hundred  and  thirty-seven, 
two  hundred  and  thirty-eight,  two  hundred  and  thirty- 
nine,  two  hundred  and  forty  and  two  hundred  and  forty- 
one. 

Talley  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  forty-four,  two  hundred 
and  forty-five,  two  hundred  and  forty-six,  two  hundred 
and  forty-seven,  two  hundred  and  forty-eight,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  forty-nine  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-one. 

Kainier  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  fifty,  two  hundred  and 
fifty-two,  two  hundred  and  fifty-three,  two  hundred  and 
fifty-five,  two  hundred  and  fifty-six,  two  hundred  and  fifty- 
seven  and  two  hundred  and  fifty-eight. 

Diiwamisli  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  twenty-five,  two  hundred 
and  fifty-four,  two  hundred  and  fifty-nine,  two  hundred 
and  sixty,  two  hundred  and  sixty-one,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-two,  two  hundred  and  sixty-three,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-four,  two  hundred  and  sixty-five,  two  hundred  and 
sixty-six  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-one. 

Alki  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  sixty-seven,  two  hundred 
and  sixty-eight,  two  hundred  and  sixty-nine,  two  hundred 
and  seventy,  two  hundred  and  seventy-one,  two  hundred 
and  seventy-two,  two  hundred  and  seventy-four  and  two 
hundred  and  seventy-five. 

Fauntleroy  District 

Precincts  two  hundred  and  seventy-three,  two  hun¬ 
dred  and  seventy-six,  two  hundred  and  seventy-seven,  two 
hundred  and  seventy-eight,  two  hundred  and  seventy-nine 
and  two  hundred  and  eighty. 

Section  4.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  in  the 
year  nineteen  hundred  and  eighteen,  and  in  every  fourth 
year  thereafter,  to  redistrict  the  city  into  districts.  In 
any  redistricting  the  districts  shall  be  made  as  nearly 
equal  in  population  and  as  geographically  compact  as 
possible,  nor  shall  any  ordinance  for  redistricting  the 
city  take  effect  within  sixty  days  preceding  any  election 
held  in  the  city  for  municipal,  county,  district  or  state 
officers. 


14 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  5.  Whenever  any  new  territory  is  added  to 
the  city  the  same  shall  be  attached  to  and  be  a  part  of  the 
district  adjoining  thereto;  and  if  such  territory  shall  ad¬ 
join  more  than  one  district  it  shall  be  added  to  and  be 
made  a  part  of  the  district  adjoining  thereto  which  shall 
have  cast  the  smallest  vote  at  the  regular  municipal  elec¬ 
tion  last  preceding  such  annexation;  provided,  that  if  the 
City  Council  shall  deem  the  population  of  such  territory 
to  be  sufficiently  large  to  constitute  a  separate  district  it 
may  by  ordinance  declare  such  territory  a  distinct  district 
and  the  same  shall  remain  a  distinct  district  until  the  city 
is  redistricted. 

Section  6.  The  precincts  of  the  city  shall  remain 
as  at  present;  provided,  however,  that  as  often  as  may 
be  necessary  the  City  Council  shall  divide  each  district 
into  two  or  more  election  precincts  so  that  each  precinct 
shall  contain  as  nearly  as  may  be  an  equal  number  of 
voters,  and  in  such  manner  as  will  best  subserve  con¬ 
venience  in  voting  and  will  conform  to  the  general  laws 
of  the  state;  provided,  that  no  alteration  of  such  pre¬ 
cincts  shall  take  effect  within  sixty  days  next  preceding 
any  election  held  in  the  city  for  municipal,  county,  dis¬ 
trict  or  state  officers. 

Section  7.  No  change  in  the  boundary  of  any  dis¬ 
trict  shall  operate  to  abolish  any  office  or  exclude  any 
Councilman  or  other  city  officer  from  office  before  the  ex¬ 
piration  of  the  term  for  which  the  incunibent  was  elected 
or  appointed. 

ELECTIONS 

Section  8.  A  general  municipal  election  shall  be 
held  on  the  first  Tuesday  after  the  first  Monday  in  March, 
1915,  and  biennially  thereafter.  All  other  elections  held 
under  the  provisions  of  this  charter  shall  be  known  as 
special  municipal  elections.  Charter  amendments  shall  be 
submitted  only  at  general  municipal  elections. 

Section  9.  The  manner  of  nomination  of  all  elective 
officers  shall  be  by  petition.  The  name  of  any  elector  of 
the  city  shall  be  printed  upon  the  ballot,  when  a  petition 
in  the  form  hereinafter  prescribed  shall  have  been  filed  in 
his  or  her  behalf  with  the  City  Clerk.  Such  petition  shall 
be  signed  by  at  least  five  hundred  qualified  electors  of  the 
city,  if  for  the  nomination  of  a  candidate  for  an  office 
filled  by  election  from  the  city  at  large,  and  by  at  least 
fifty  qualified  electors  of  the  district,  if  for  an  office  to  be 
filled  by  election  from  such  district. 

Section  10.  The  signatures  to  a  nominating  petition 
need  not  all  be  appended  to  one  paper,  but  to  each  sepa¬ 
rate  paper  there  shall  be  attached  an  affidavit  of  the  cir¬ 
culator  thereof,  stating  the  number  of  signers  of  such 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


15 


paper  and  that  each  signature  appended  thereto  was  made 
in  his  or  her  presence,  and  is  the  genuine  signature  of 
the  person  whose  name  it  purports  to  be.  All  signers  of 
a  nominating  petition  shall  sign  their  name  in  ink  or  in¬ 
delible  pencil,  adding  their  place  of  residence  by  street 
and  number. 

Section  11.  The  form  of  the  petition  papers  shall  be 
substantially  as  follows: 

(FORM  OP  PETITION  PAPER.) 

We,  the  undersigned,  hereby  nominate . 

. whose  residence  is  No . street, 

Seattle,  for  the  office  of . to  be  voted 

for  at  the  election  to  be  held  in  the  City  of  Seattle,  on  the 

. day  of . 19 . ;  and  we  indi- 

viduallly  certify  that  we  are  qualified  to  vote  for  candi¬ 
dates  for  the  above  office,  and  that  we  have  not  signed  any 
other  petition  presenting  any  other  candidate  for  the 
said  office. 

Name  Street  and  Number 

(Space  for  Signatures) 

(Here  insert  affidavit  of  circulator) 

Section  12.  All  nominating  papers  comprising  a  pe¬ 
tition  shall  be  assembled  and  filed  with  the  City  Clerk,  as 
one  instrument,  not  earlier  than  sixty  days  nor  later  than 
thirty  days  prior  to  the  date  of  the  election  with  respect 
to  which  such  petition  is  filed.  The  Clerk  shall  endorse 
thereon  the  date  of  its  presentation,  and  by  whom  pre¬ 
sented,  and  shall  forthwith  examine  the  same.  If  the  pe¬ 
tition  complies  with  this  charter,  he  shall  file  the  same  at 
once;  if  not,  he  shall  state  immediately  in  writing  on  said 
petition  why  it  cannot  be  filed,  and  within  three  days 
thereafter  shall  return  the  defective  petition,  personally 
or  by  mail,  to  the  person  presenting  the  same.  Such  re¬ 
turned  petition  may  be  amended  and  again  presented  for 
filing  within  five  days  of  its  return  by  the  Clerk,  but  in 
no  case  later  than  thirty  days  before  the  election,  and  if 
then  found  to  comply  with  this  charter  it  shall  be  filed. 
The  fee  for  filing  such  petition  of  nomination  shall  be 
one  per  cent  of  the  annual  salary  or  compensation  at¬ 
tached  to  the  office  in  question,  but  in  no  case  less  than 
ten  dollars. 

Section  13.  Any  person  whose  name  has  been  sub¬ 
mitted  for  candidacy  by  any  such  petition  shall  file  with 
the  City  Clerk  an  acceptance  of  such  candidacy,  contain¬ 
ing  a  declaration  that  he  is  not  a  nominee  or  representa¬ 
tive  of  any  political  party  or  organization,  not  later  than 
seven  days  after  the  filing  of  his  petition  of  nomination, 
and  in  the  absence  of  such  acceptance  the  name  of  the 
candidate  shall  not  appear  on  the  ballot.  Not  later  than 


16 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


fifteen  days  before  the  election,  any  candidate  may  with¬ 
draw  from  nomination  by  filing  with  the  City  Clerk  a  re¬ 
quest  for  withdrawal,  over  his  own  signature  duly  at¬ 
tested  by  a  notary  public,  and  no  name  so  withdrawn  shall 
be  printed  upon  the  ballot. 

Section  14.  No  ballot  used  in  elections  held  under 
the  authority  of  this  charter  shall  have  printed  thereon 
any  party  or  political  designation  or  mark,  or  anything 
indicating  a  candidate’s  views  or  opinions.  The  ballots 
shall  contain  a  complete  list  of  the  offices  to  be  filled,  and 
the  names  of  the  candidates  for  such  office  shall  be  ar- 
langed  under  the  title  thereof  in  alphabetical  order. 
All  ballot  papers  shall  be  indistinguishable  one  from,  an¬ 
other,  except  as  to  matters  provided  by  law  to  be  printed 
thereon. 

FORM  OF  BALLOT 

The  ballots  shall  be  substantially  in  the  following 
form: 

General  (or  Special)  Election,  City  of  Seattle,  to  be 
held . ,  19 . 

Official  ballot  for  use  in  (designation  of  precinct  to  be 
printed  or  stamped). 

Directions  to  voters:  To  vote  for  candidates,  write 
the  figure  “1”  opposite  the  name  of  your  first  choice  for 
any  office.  You  may  express  as  many  additional  prefer¬ 
ences  as  you  please  by  writing  the  figure  “2”  opposite 
the  name  of  your  second  choice,  the  figure  “3”  opposite 
the  name  of  your  third  choice,  and  so  on.  You  may  also 
write  in  the  blank  space  provided  below  each  group,  the 
name  of  any  other  person  or  persons  for  whom  you  de¬ 
sire  to  vote,  or  attach  a  paster  bearing  the  printed  name 
of  any  such  person  or  persons. 

Do  not  write  more  than  one  number  opposite  the 
same  name. 

If  you  spoil  this  ballot,  tear  it  across  once,  return  to 
the  election  officer  and  get  another. 

(Vote 

(Domicile  (Occu-  in  this 

(Name)  Address)  pation)  column) 

John  Doe  . . . 

Richard  Roe  . 

Henry  Poe  . . 

James  Hoe  . 

William  Coe  . 


Insert  here  (or  on  separate  ballot)  propositions  and 
other  matters,  if  any,  to  be  voted  on,  with  appropriate 
directions  to  voters  printed  in  a  conspicuous  position. 


(  harter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


17 


Section  15.  The  City  Clerk  shall  cause  a  sufficient 
number  of  official  ballots  to  be  printed,  in  form  as  herein 
prescribed,  and  distributed  to  the  election  officers  for  use 
in  the  respective  voting  precincts  throughout  the  city.  He 
shall  also  have  printed  a  sufficient  number  of  sample  bal¬ 
lots,  upon  paper  of  different  color,  but  otherwise  iden¬ 
tical  with  the  ballot  to  be  used  at  the  election,  and  shall 
mail  one  such  sample  ballot  to  each  registered  voter  at 
least  seven  days  before  the  election. 

Section  16.  Immediately  after  the  closing  of  the  polls, 
the  judges  and  inspectors  of  election  shall  then  and  there, 
without  removing  the  ballot  box  from  the  place  where 
the  ballots  were  cast,  proceed  to  canvass  the  votes,  enter¬ 
ing  the  total  number  thereof  on  the  tally  sheets  provided 
therefor.  They  shall  enter  the  number  of  the  first,  sec¬ 
ond,  third  and  further  choice  votes  for  each  candidate  on 
said  tally  sheets,  and  as  soon  as  such  canvass  is  completed 
a  return  thereof  shall  be  signed  by  the  judges  and  inspec¬ 
tors,  securely  enveloped  and  sealed,  and  forthwith  de¬ 
livered  to  the  City  Clerk  by  one  of  their  number. 

Directions  to  election  officers,  in  conformity  with  this 
section,  shall  be  printed  conspicuously  on  the  tally  sheets 
furnished  by  the  Clerk. 

On  the  first  Friday  evening  after  the  election,  the 
City  Council  shall,  at  eight  o’clock  p.  m.,  meet  and  pro¬ 
ceed  to  canvass  the  returns  of  such  election,  and  shall 
thereupon  declare  the  result. 

Section  17.  A  ballot  marked  with  a  cross  opposite 
one  name,  with  no  other  mark,  shall  be  treated  exactly 
as  if  it  had  been  marked  with  the  figure  “1”  opposite  the 
same  name.  If  the  same  number  or  mark  is  placed  oppo¬ 
site  more  than  one  candidate  for  the  same  office,  such 
conflicting  preference  shall  not  count  for  either. 

(a)  Candidates  receiving  a  majority  of  all  first 
choice  votes  cast  for  any  office  shall  be  elected.  If  no 
candidate  receive  a  majority  of  the  first  choice  votes  cast 
for  the  office  in  question,  a  canvass  shall  then  be  made 
of  the  second  choice  votes  received  by  the  candidates  for 
such  office.  The  total  of  second  choice  votes  of  each  can¬ 
didate  shall  then  be  divided  by  two  and  the  quotient  (dis¬ 
regarding  fractions)  added  to  the  first  choice  'votes  re¬ 
ceived  by  such  candidate,  and  the  candidate  who  by  such 
addition  shall  receive  a  majority  of  all  first  and  second 
choice  votes  (counting  second  choice  votes  at  one-half 
value)  shall  be  elected. 

(b)  If  no  candidate  receive  a  majority  by  adding 
first  and  second  choice  votes  as  directed  in  the  next  pre¬ 
ceding  subsection,  a  canvass  shall  then  be  made  of  the 
third  choice  votes  received  by  the  candidates  for  said 
office.  The  total  of  third  choice  votes  received  by  each 


18 


Cluirter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


candidate  shall  then  be  divided  by  three,  and  the  quo¬ 
tient  (disregarding  fractions)  added  to  the  combined  first 
and  second  choice  vote  for  such  candidate,  and  the  can¬ 
didate  who  by  such  addition  shall  receive  a  majority  of 
all  first,  second  and  third  choice  votes  (counting  second 
choice  votes  at  one-half  value  and  third  choice  votes  at 
one-third)  shall  be  elected. 

(c)  If  no  candidate  receive  a  majority  by  adding 
first,  second  and  third  choice  votes  as  directed  in  the  next 
preceding  subsections,  the  process  of  adding  the  next 
lower  preferences  shall  then  be  continued  until  some  can¬ 
didate  has  a  majority  of  all  the  votes  cast  for  the  office 
in  question  (counting  second  choice  votes  at  one-half 
value,  third  choice  votes  at  one-third  value,  fourth  choice 
votes  at  one-fourth  value,  and  so  on  to  the  lowest  pref¬ 
erence  expressed  for  any  candidate  for  the  office  in  ques¬ 
tion.) 

(d)  If  no  candidate  receive  a  majority  by  counting 
first,  second,  third  and  all  further  choices  down  to  the 
lowest  preference  expressed  for  the  office  in  question,  as 
directed  in  the  next  preceding  subsections,  then  the  can¬ 
didate  who  receives  the  highest  number  of  votes  by  such 
addition  of  all  the  preferences  expressed  shall  be  elected. 

(e)  A  tie  between  two  or  more  candidates  shall  be 
decided  in  favor  of  the  candidate  having  the  highest  num¬ 
ber  of  first  choice  votes.  If  this  does  not  decide,  then  the 
highest  total  number  of  second  choice  votes  shall  deter¬ 
mine  the  result.  If  they  are  also  equal  in  that  respect  then 
the  process  of  comparing  the  next  lower  choices  shall  be 
continued  down  to  the  lowest  preference  expressed  for  the 
candidates  concerned,  and  if  this  still  results  in  a  tie  it 
shall  be  decided  by  lot  under  the  direction  of  the  can¬ 
vassing  board. 

(f)  A  statement  of  such  canvass  shall  be  made  out 
and  signed  by  the  President  of  the  Council  and  filed  with 
the  City  Clerk,  who,  within  three  days  thereafter,  shall 
make  out  and  cause  to  be  delivered  to  each  person  so 
elected,  a  certificate  of  election. 

Section  18.  No  informalities  in  conducting  municipal 
elections  shall  invalidate  the  same,  if  they  have  been  con¬ 
ducted  fairly  and  in  substantial  conformity  with  the  re¬ 
quirements  of  law. 

Section  19.  The  total  expenditure  by  or  on  behalf 
of  any  one  candidate,  whether  directly  or  indirectly,  shall 
not  exceed  five  hundred  dollars  in  case  of  a  candidate 
elected  at  large,  nor  one  hundred  dollars  in  case  of  a  can¬ 
didate  elected  from  a  district.  This  shall  not  include  fil¬ 
ing  fees  nor  the  cost  of  printing  and  mailing  circulars 
to  voters. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


19 


No  candidate,  nor  any  person,  association  or  organ¬ 
ization  on  his  behalf,  directly  or  indirectly,  shall  pay  or 
cause  any  person  to  be  paid,  in  cash  or  by  any  other  ma¬ 
terial  inducement,  for  work  in  his  behalf  at  the  polls  on 
election  day. 

A  violation  of  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section  by 
any  candidate,  or  by  any  person,  association  or  organiza¬ 
tion  in  his  behalf  and  with  his  knowledge,  shall  disqualify 
him  from  holding  the  office  for  which  he  is  a  candidate. 

Every  candidate  for  an  elective  office,  shall,  within 
five  days  after  the  election  make  and  file  with  the  Clerk 
an  affidavit  that  he  has  not  violated  any  of  the  provisions 
of  this  section,  which  shall  enumerate  specifically  the  pro¬ 
hibitions  in  this  section,  and  shall  contain  a  complete 
itemized  statement  of  expenditures  of  money  in  such  elec¬ 
tion,  and  of  the  giving  of  any  other  consideration  or 
promise,  by  him  or  by  any  other  person  in  his  behalf. 

Section  20.  At  least  twenty  days  prior  to  any  elec¬ 
tion,  the  City  Council  shall  designate  one  place  of  voting 
in  each  precinct  and  shall  appoint  such  judges  and  inspec¬ 
tors  for  each  place  of  voting  as  may  be  required  by  the 
general  laws  of  the  state  for  state  and  county  elections. 

Section  21.  At  all  elections  the  vote  shall  be  by  bal¬ 
lot,  and  the  polls  shall  be  opened  at  eight  o’clock  a.  m., 
and  close  at  eight  o’clock  p.  m.  The  manner  of  conduct¬ 
ing  and  voting  at  elections  under  this  charter,  opening 
and  closing  of  polls,  keeping  the  poll  lists,  canvassing  the 
votes,  declaring  the  result  and  certifying  the  returns, 
shall  be  the  same  as  provided  by  the  laws  of  this  state 
for  the  state  and  county  elections  therein,  except  as  other¬ 
wise  provided  in  this  charter. 

Section  22.  The  City  Clerk,  under  the  direction  of 
the  City  Council,  shall  give  thirty  days’  notice  by  posting 
at  each  voting  place  in  the  city,  a  notice  of  the  tim^e  and 
place  of  holding  each  election,  and  the  officers  to  be  elect¬ 
ed,  or  measures  to  be  submitted,  and  in  all  cases  notices 
shall  be  published  in  the  city  official  newspaper  once  each 
week  for  two  consecutive  weeks  next  preceding  such  elec¬ 
tion,  of  the  time,  place  and  purpose  of  such  election. 

Section  23.  It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  City  Clerk  to 
cause  to  be  made  out  and  delivered  at  each  voting  place, 
by  the  time  fixed  by  law  for  the  opening  of  the  polls,  on 
the  day  of  each  election,  all  necessary  books  and  lists  re¬ 
quired  by  the  general  laws  of  the  state,  for  holding  such 
elections. 

Section  24.  A  certificate  of  election  shall  be  prima 
facie  evidence  of  the  facts  therein  stated,  but  the  City 
Council  shall  decide  all  questions  as  to  the  qualifications 


20 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


and  election  of  its  own  members,  and  in  all  cases  of  con¬ 
tested  election  for  any  office  the  contest  shall  be  decided 
by  the  City  Council  according,  as  nearly  as  may  be,  to  the 
laws  of  the  state  regulating  proceedings  in  cases  of  con¬ 
tested  elections  for  county  officers. 

Section  25.  Whenever  any  question  is  to  be  sub¬ 
mitted  to  the  electors  of  the  city  and  the  method  of  such 
submission  is  not  specifically  provided  by  this  charter  or 
by  general  law,  the  same  shall  be  submitted  at  a  general 
or  special  election. 

RECALL 

Section  26.  The  holder  of  any  elective  office  may  be 
removed  from  office  by  recall  as  provided  by  law. 

CITY  COUNCIL 

Section  27.  The  legislative  powers  of  the  City  of 
Seattle,  except  as  reserved  to  the  people  by  this  charter, 
shall  be  vested  in  a  Mayor  and  City  Council. 

Section  28.  The  City  Council  shall  be  composed  of 
one  member  elected  from  each  councilmanic  district  of 
the  city. 

Section  29.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  for  election 
to  the  City  Council  unless  he  shall  have  been  a  citizen  of 
the  United  States  and  a  resident  and  elector  of  the  City 
of  Seattle  or  annexed  territory  for  a  continuous  period  of 
at  least  four  years  next  prior  to  his  election. 

Section  30.  A  majority  of  all  members  elected  shall 
constitute  a  quorum,  but  a  less  number  may  adjourn  from 
day  to  day,  or  till  the  time  of  the  next  regular  meeting, 
and  may  compel  the  attendance  of  absent  members  in 
such  manner  and  under  such  penalties  as  the  Council 
shall  prescribe. 

Section  31.  The  Mayor  shall  be  ex-officio  President 
of  the  City  Council  and  shall  perform  the  usual  functions 
of  a  presiding  officer,  but  shall  have  no  vote  in  elections, 
appointments  and  removals  of  officers  by  the  Council,  and 
in  all  other  matters,  only  in  case  of  a  tie. 

Section  32.  The  Council  shall  elect  from  among  its 
members  a  Vice-President  who  shall  be  presiding  officer 
of  the  Council  during  the  absence  or  disability  of  the 
Mayor. 

Section  33.  The  City  Manager,  City  Comptroller, 
City  Treasurer  and  Corporation  Counsel  shall  have  seats 
in  the  City  Council  and  may  take  part  in  all  discussions 
relating  to  their  respective  departments,  but  shall  have 
no  vote. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


21 


Section  34.  All  elections  and  appointments  by  the 
Council  shall  be  determined  by  the  system  of  preferen¬ 
tial  voting  provided  by  this  charter  for  popular  election 
of  officers,  except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this  section. 
All  such  elections  and  appointments  shall  be  determined 
at  a  meeting  to  be  fixed  by  the  Council,  to  be  held  within 
sixty  days  after  a  vacancy  occurs.  Nominations  may  be 
made  orally  by  any  Councilman,  and  shall  close  one  week 
before  the  time  fixed  for  such  election  or  appointment. 
The  ballot  cast  by  each  Councilman  shall  be  signed  by 
him,  and  a  record  of  the  vote  entered  in  the  journal. 
Whenever  there  are  three  or  more  nominees  for  the  same 
office,  each  Councilman  voting  must  express  at  least  his 
first,  second  and  third  preference  for  the  office  in  ques¬ 
tion,  otherwise  his  ballot  shall  not  be  counted.  The  re¬ 
sult  of  the  election  shall  be  announced  immediately. 

Section  35.  The  City  Council  shall: 

First — Establish  rules  for  its  proceedings. 

Second — Keep  a  journal  of  its  proceedings  and  allow 
the  proceedings  to  be  published,  and  take  the  yeas  and 
nays  on  any  question  on  demand  of  any  two  members  and 
enter  the  same  in  the  journal. 

Third — Have  authority  to  punish  its  members  and 
others  for  disorderly  or  otherwise  contemptuous  behavior 
in  its  presence,  and  to  expel  for  such  behavior  in  its  pres¬ 
ence  any  member  by  the  affirmative  vote  of  not  less  than 
two-thirds  of  its  members,  specifying  in  the  order  of  ex¬ 
pulsion  the  cause  thereof. 

Fourth — Have  authority  to  create  and  use  commit¬ 
tees  of  its  members  which  shall  have  power  to  compel  at¬ 
tendance  of  witnesses  and  the  production  of  papers  and 
things  before  them. 

Section  36.  The  City  Council  shall  meet  on  the  first 
Monday  of  each  month,  or  if  that  day  be  a  legal  holiday, 
then  upon  the  next  day  not  a  legal  holiday  thereafter, 
and  at  such  other  times  as  it  may  by  its  rules  provide. 
The  Mayor,  the  Vice-President  of  the  Council  in  case  of 
the  absence  or  disability  of  the  Mayor,  or  any  five  Coun- 
cilmen  may  call  a  special  meeting  of  the  Council.  All  its 
sessions  shall  be  public,  and  it  shall  not  adjourn  to  any 
other  place  than  its  regular  place  of  meeting. 

Section  37.  Every  legislative  act  of  said  city  shall  be 
by  ordinance.  Every  ordinance  shall  be  clearly  entitled 
and  shall  contain  but  one  subject,  which  shall  be  clearly 
expressed  in  its  title.  The  enacting  clause  of  every  ordi¬ 
nance  shall  be:  “Be  it  ordained  by  the  City  of  Seattle  as 
follows:  ” 

Section  38.  No  bill  shall  become  an  ordinance  un¬ 
less  on  its  final  passage  at  least  a  majority  of  all  the 


22 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


members  elected  vote  in  its  favor,  and  the  vote  be  taken 
by  yeas  and  nays,  and  the  names  of  those  voting  for  and 
against  the  same  be  entered  in  the  journal. 

No  ordinance,  other  than  an  ordinance  providing  for 
appropriations  for  salaries  or  current  expenses,  shall  be 
passed  on  its  final  reading  at  the  meeting  at  which  it  is 
introduced. 

Section  39.  No  ordinance  shall  be  revised,  re-enacted 
or  amended  by  reference  to  its  title;  but  the  ordinance  to 
be  revised  or  re-enacted  or  the  section  thereof  amended, 
shall  be  re-enacted  at  length  as  revised  or  amended. 

Section  40.  When  a  bill  is  put  upon  its  final  passage 
and  fails  to  pass,  and  a  motion  is  made  to  reconsider,  the 
vote  upon  such  motion  shall  not  be  taken  before  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Council. 

Section  41.  No  bill  for  the  grant  of  any  franchise 
shall  be  finally  passed  within  thirty  days  after  its  intro¬ 
duction  nor  until  it  has  been  published  in  the  official 
newspaper  of  the  city  at  the  expense  of  the  applicant 
once  each  week  for  two  consecutive  weeks,  the  first  pub¬ 
lication  to  be  within  ten  days  after  its  introduction. 

Section  42.  All  ordinances  shall  take  effect  thirty 
days  after  their  passage  and  authentication  except  emer¬ 
gency  ordinances  and  ordinances  approving  local  improve¬ 
ment  assessment  rolls  and  authorizing  the  issuance  of  local 
improvement  bonds,  which  shall  take  effect  upon  their  pas¬ 
sage  and  authentication.  When  the  immediate  preserva¬ 
tion  of  the  public  peace,  health  or  safety  requires  that  an 
ordinance  shall  become  effective  immediately  the  facts 
creating  the  necessity  and  emergency  shall  be  stated  in 
the  ordinance,  and  such  ordinance  shall  not  become  im¬ 
mediately  effective  as  an  emergency  ordinance  unless  on 
its  final  passage  at  least  two-thirds  of  all  the  members  of 
the  Council  vote  in  its  favor. 

Section  43.  Every  bill,  after  it  has  passed,  shall  be 
signed  by  the  President  of  the  Council  in  open  session, 
in  authentication  of  its  passage;  in  signing  such  bill  the 
President  shall  call  the  attention  of  the  Council  to  the 
bill  and  that  he  is  about  to  sign  it,  and  if  any  member  so 
request,  the  bill  shall  be  read  at  length  for  information 
as  to  its  correctness  as  enrolled.  If  any  member  object 
that  the  bill  is  not  the  same  as  when  considered  and 
passed,  such  objection  shall  be  passed  upon,  and  if  sus¬ 
tained  the  President  shall  withhold  his  signature  and  the 
bill  shall  be  corrected  and  signed  before  the  Council  pro¬ 
ceeds  to  any  other  business. 

Section  44.  All  ordinances  of  a  general,  public  or 
permanent  nature,  and  those  imposing  a  fine,  penalty 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


23 


or  forfeiture  shall  be  published  once  in  the  city  official 
newspaper  within  ten  days  after  the  same  shall  have  be¬ 
come  a  law.  The  publication  of  all  ordinances  granting' 
any  franchise  or  private  privilege  or  approving  or  va¬ 
cating  any  plat  shall  be  published  at  the  expense  of  the 
applicant  therefor. 

Section  45.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power,  by 
ordinance  and  not  otherwise,  to  carry  into  execution  all 
of  the  powers  given  to  the  City  of  Seattle  by  the  consti¬ 
tution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington,  and  all  other 
powers  usually  exercised  by  legislative  bodies  of  munic¬ 
ipal  corporations  of  like  character  and  degree  with  the 
City  of  Seattle,  and  all  powers  which  now  are  or  which 
may  hereafter  be  conferred  upon  incorporated  towns  and 
cities  by  the  constitution  and  laws  of  this  state,  and  also 
all  the  powers  of  the  City  of  Seattle  which  now  are  or 
may  hereafter  be  adopted  and  enumerated  in  the  city 
charter. 

Section  46.  The  City  Council  shall  neither  have  nor 
exercise  any  administrative  or  executive  power  as  distin¬ 
guished  from  the  legislative  power. 

Section  47.  No  exclusive  franchise  or  privilege  shall 
be  granted  for  the  use  of  any  street,  alley  or  highway  or 
other  public  place  or  any  part  thereof. 

Section  48.  The  City  Council  shall  make  no  appro¬ 
priation  in  aid  of  any  corporation,  person  or  society,  un¬ 
less  expressly  authorized  by  this  charter  or  the  laws  of 
the  state;  provided,  that  the  City  Council  may  grant  to 
any  institution  which  is  supported  in  whole  or  in  part  by 
public  charity  the  free  use  of  city  water. 

Section  49.  No  debt  or  obligation  of  any  kind  against 
the  city  shall  be  created  by  the  City  Council  except  by 
ordinance  specifying  the  amount  and  object  of  such  ex¬ 
penditure. 

Section  50.  No  proposition  involving  the  issue  of 
bonds  for  any  public  utility  or  improvement  shall  be  sub¬ 
mitted  to  the  people  until  a  detailed  estimate  of  the  cost 
thereof  shall  have  first  been  made  by  the  City  Manager 
and  adopted  by  the  Council. 

INITIATIVE  AND  REFERENDUM 

Section  51.  Any  proposed  ordinance  may  be  submit¬ 
ted  to  the  City  Council  by  petition  signed  by  registered 
voters  equal  in  number  to  at  least  eight  per  cent  of  the 
total  registration  of  the  preceding  year.  All  petitions  cir¬ 
culated  with  respect  to  any  proposed  ordinance  shall  be 
uniform  in  character,  shall  contain  the  proposed  ordi¬ 
nance  in  full,  and  shall  be  signed,  certified  and  filed  in 


24 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


the  manner  required  by  this  charter  for  petitions  nomi¬ 
nating  candidates  for  elective  offices. 

Section  52.  The  City  Clerk  shall,  within  twenty 
days  after  the  filing  of  such  petition,  verify  the  sufficiency 
of  the  signatures  thereto.  If  he  finds  the  same  to  be  in¬ 
sufficient,  he  shall  forthwith  notify  the  person  filing  the 
same,  and  an  additional  twenty  days  shall  be  allowed  in 
which  to  complete  such  petition.  When  such  petition  is 
found  sufficient  by  the  Clerk,  he  shall  forthwith  transmit 
the  same,  together  with  his  report  thereon,  to  the  City 
Council,  which  shall  take  final  action  upon  such  proposed 
ordinance  within  thirty  days. 

Section  53.  The  City  Council  may  enact  or  reject 
any  initiative  ordinance,  but  shall  not  amend  or  modify 
the  same.  If  the  City  Council  shall  reject  any  such  ordi¬ 
nance,  or  shall  within  thirty  days  after  receipt  thereof 
fail  to  take  final  action  thereon,  the  same  shall  be  sub¬ 
mitted  to  the  people  for  their  approval  or  rejection  at  the 
next  regular  election,  or  at  a  special  election  called  for 
that  purpose.  If  the  initiative  petition  shall  be  signed 
by  qualified  voters  equal  in  number  to  at  least  fifteen  per 
cent  of  the  total  registration  of  the  preceding  year,  or 
shall  at  any  time  be  raised  in  qualified  signatures  to  such 
percentage,  then  the  Council  shall  provide  for  the  submis¬ 
sion  of  the  same  to  a  vote  of  the  people  at  a  special  elec¬ 
tion  to  be  held  within  forty  days  from  the  certification 
by  the  Clerk  of  the  sufficiency  of  the  signatures;  provided, 
that  if  any  general  election  is  to  be  held  by  the  state  or 
any  political  subdivision  thereof  within  which  the  City  of 
Seattle  is  included  within  three  months  after  such  last 
above  named  certification,  then  such  special  election  shall 
be  held  on  the  date  of  such  other  election. 

Section  54.  If  prior  to  the  date  when  any  ordinance 
shall  take  effect  a  petition  signed  by  qualified  electors 
equal  in  number  to  at  least  six  per  cent  of  the  total  regis¬ 
tration  of  the  preceding  year  shall  be  filed  with  the  Clerk 
and  verified  as  to  sufficiency  of  signatures,  as  in  case  of 
an  initiative  ordinance,  such  ordinance  shall  be  suspended 
from  taking  effect  and  the  Council  shall  immediately  re¬ 
consider  the  same,  and  if  it  does  not  repeal  such  ordinance 
it  shall  submit  it  to  the  people  for  their  approval  or  rejec¬ 
tion  at  the  next  municipal  election  or  at  a  special  election 
called  for  that  purpose  as  in  case  of  initiative  ordinances. 

Section  55.  The  Council  by  its  own  motion  may  sub¬ 
mit  to  popular  vote  for  adoption  or  rejection  at  any  elec¬ 
tion  any  proposed  ordinance  in  the  same  manner  as  pro¬ 
vided  for  their  submission  upon  petition. 

Section  56.  If  a  majority  of  the  qualified  electors 
voting  upon  any  initiative  or  referendum  ordinance  shall 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


25 


vote  in  favor  thereof,  the  same  shall  take  effect  five  days 
after  the  election;  provided,  that  if  the  City  Council  shall, 
after  the  rejection  of  an  initiative  ordinance,  have  passed 
a  different  ordinance  on  the  same  subject,  they  shall  sub¬ 
mit  it,  together  with  the  initiative  ordinance,  at  the  same 
election,  and  the  ordinance  receiving  the  highest  number 
of  votes,  provided  that  be  a  majority,  shall  be  adopted. 
All  initiative  and  referendum  elections  shall  be  conducted 
in  all  respects  as  elections  submitting  propositions  to  the 
people.  Initiative  ordinances  shall  be  published  once  each 
week  for  two  successive  weeks  in  the  city  official  newspa¬ 
per  immediately  prior  to  the  election  at  which  the  same  is 
submitted. 

Section  57.  No  ordinance  enacted  by  the  vote  of  the 
people  shall  be  amended  or  repealed  by  the  City  Council 
within  two  years  after  its  enactment,  and  then  only  by  a 
three-fourths  vote  of  the  entire  City  Council. 

CLERICAL  DEPARTMENT 

Section  58.  There  shall  be  a  Clerical  Department 
which  shall  consist  of  a  City  Clerk,  deputies  and  em¬ 
ployes.  The  City  Clerk  shall  be  appointed  by  the  City 
Council  for  the  term  of  four  years  subject  to  removal  by 
it.  The  City  Clerk  shall  have  power  to  appoint  from  the 
employes  of  the  Clerical  Department  such  deputies  as  he 
shall  deem  expedient  and  to  revoke  any  such  appointment. 

Section  59.  The  City  Clerk  shall  be  Clerk  of  the 
City  Council,  shall  attend  all  meetings  thereof  and  keep 
complete  records  of  its  proceedings;  have  the  custody  of 
the  city  seal,  all  public  records,  except  such  as  are  en¬ 
trusted  by  this  charter  to  other  officers,  and  all  papers 
and  documents  relative  to  the  title  of  city  property; 
shall  have  general  charge  of  all  elections  and  of  all  mat¬ 
ters  pertaining  thereto;  shall  attest  by  his  signature  and 
the  city  seal  all  public  instruments  and  acts  of  city  of¬ 
ficials  requiring  attestation,  and  shall  certify  under  his 
hand  and  the  city  seal  all  copies  of  original  documents, 
records  and  papers  in  his  office  as  may  be  required  by 
any  officer  or  person,  and  charge  therefor  such  fees  for 
the  use  of  the  city  as  are  or  may  be  provided  by  ordi¬ 
nance,  and  shall  perform  such  other  duties  as  are  pre¬ 
scribed  by  ordinance. 

THE  3rAY0R 

Section  60.  The  official  head  of  the  city  shall  be  a 
Mayor.  He  shall  be  at  least  thirty  years  of  age,  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  and  of  the  State  of  Washington,  and 
a  qualified  elector  of  the  city  at  the  time  of  his  election, 
and  shall  have  been  a  citizen  and  taxpayer  of  the  city  for 
at  least  four  years  before  the  date  of  his  election. 


26 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  61.  The  Mayor  shall: 

(a)  Be  recognized  as  the  official  head  of  the  city 
for  all  legal  and  ceremonial  purposes; 

(b)  Execute  for  the  City  of  Seattle  all  deeds,  con¬ 
veyances,  contracts  and  bonds,  except  as  otherwise  ex¬ 
pressly  provided  in  this  charter; 

(c)  Be  the  head  of  the  Police  Department  and  main¬ 
tain  peace  and  good  order  in  the  city. 

Section  62.  In  case  of  the  disability  or  absence  of 
the  Mayor  from  the  city,  the  Vice-President  of  the  City 
Council  shall  act  as  Mayor.  In  the  case  of  a  vacancy  in 
the  office  of  Mayor,  the  Vice-President  of  the  City  Council 
shall  become  Mayor  and  shall  hold  office  until  the  next 
general  election. 

Section  63.  The  Mayor  shall  not  have  nor  exercise 
any  executive,  administrative  or  legislative  powers  except 
such  as  are  expressly  given  to  him  by  this  charter  and 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  POLICE 

Section  64.  There  shall  be  a  Police  Department 
which  shall  consist  of  a  Chief  of  Police  and  as  many  sub¬ 
ordinate  officers,  detectives,  policemen  and  policewomen 
as  the  Council  may  from  time  to  time  by  ordinance  pre¬ 
scribe.  The  policewomen  of  the  Department  shall  con¬ 
stitute  a  women’s  division  under  the  immediate  charge 
of  a  woman  officer  with  rank  and  pay  not  less  than  that 
of  a  police  sergeant.  This  division,  under  the  direction 
of  the  Chief  of  Police,  shall  have  the  care  and  protection 
of  all  women  and  girls  and  the  custody  of  female  pris¬ 
oners  until  after  conviction.  The  Mayor  may,  when  the 
public  safety  requires  it  in  case  of  emergency,  to  be  de¬ 
termined  by  him,  appoint  any  number  of  emergency  po¬ 
licemen,  who  shall  hold  their  positions  and  discharge 
their  duties  at  his  pleasure  until  the  conclusion  of  the 
next  meeting  of  the  Council  and  no  longer,  except  by 
consent  of  the  Council.  Such  appointments  shall  be 
made  from  the  civil  service  classified  list  when  avail¬ 
able. 

Section  65.  The  Mayor  shall  appoint  the  Chief  of 
Police  and  remove  him  in  his  discretion.  In  case  the 
Chief  of  Police  shall  be  appointed  from  the  classified 
civil  service,  and  shall  not  be  removed  for  cause,  he  shall 
upon  retirement  resume  his  former  position  in  such  serv¬ 
ice,  and  the  last  appointees  in  positions  subordinate 
thereto  shall  resume  their  former  positions  respectively 
in  the  classified  civil  service. 

Section  66.  The  Chief  of  Police  shall  be  the  chief 
peace  officer  of  the  city,  shall  serve  and  execute  all 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


27 


process  issued  under  authority  of  this  charter  or  any  or¬ 
dinance,  shall  be  the  keeper  of  the  city  jail,  and  shall  have 
such  other  powers  and  duties  as  shall  be  prescribed  by 
ordinance. 

Section  67.  He  shall  receive  and  be  responsible  on 
his  official  bond  for  all  property  and  money  taken  from 
any  person. 

DEPAET3IENT  OF  PUBLIC  WELFARE 

Section  68.  There  shall  be  a  Department  of  Public 
Welfare  which  shall  be  under  the  management  of  three 
non-salaried  Commissioners  to  be  appointed  by  the 
Mayor  for  the  term  of  three  years  and  subject  to  removal 
by  him.  The  first  appointments  shall  be  for  the  term  of 
one,  two  and  three  years  respectively.  They  shall  man¬ 
age  all  charitable,  correctional  and  reformatory  institu¬ 
tions  and  agencies,  lodging  houses,  bath  houses,  farms 
and  similar  institutions  belonging  to  or  controlled  by  the 
city,  except  such  as  are  placed  by  this  charter  under  the 
control  of  some  other  officer  or  board.  They  shall  in¬ 
spect  and  regulate  all  privately  owned  places  of  public 
amusement  and  entertainment.  They  shall  make  re¬ 
search  into  the  causes  of  poverty,  delinquency,  crime  and 
other  social  problems  and  shall  promote  the  education 
and  understanding  of  the  community  in  matters  of  pub¬ 
lic  welfare. 

Section  69.  There  shall  be  a  free  employment  office 
which,  subject  to  the  supervision  and  control  of  the 
Board  of  Public  Welfare,  shall  be  managed  by  a  Super¬ 
intendent  appointed  by  it.  The  Superintendent  shall  col¬ 
lect,  arrange  and  systematize  all  statistics  relating  to 
the  various  branches  of  labor  in  the  city,  assist  in  obtain¬ 
ing  employment  for  all  persons  who  may  apply  therefor, 
keep  in  touch  with  labor  conditions  in  Seattle  and  vicin¬ 
ity  and  inform  those  seeking  employment  thereof.  He 
shall  inspect  and  regulate  all  private  employment  agencies 
in  the  city  and  require  them  to  notify  those  seeking  em¬ 
ployment  of  the  true  labor  conditions,  including  strikes, 
prevailing  at  the  places  where  employment  is  offered. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  PARKS  AND  RECREATION 

Section  70.  There  shall  be  a  Department  of  Parks 
and  Recreation,  which  shall  consist  of  five  non-salaried 
Commissioners,  subordinate  officers  and  employes.  The 
Commissioners  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor  for  the 
term  of  five  years,  and  be  subject  to  removal  by  him. 
The  Commissioners  of  the  existing  department  of  parks 
shall  serve  as  Commissioners  of  this  Department  for  the 
terms  for  which  they  were  appointed  respectively. 


28 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  71.  This  Department  shall  manage,  con¬ 
trol,  improve  and  regulate  all  parks,  play  and  recreation 
grounds,  public  squares,  park  drives,  parkways,  boule¬ 
vards  and  bathing  beaches  of  the  city,  except  as  other¬ 
wise  provided  in  this  charter,  and  shall  have  power  to 
designate  the  lands  to  be  acquired  and  used  for  such  pur¬ 
poses,  whether  within  or  without  the  city,  and  to  grant 
concessions  and  privileges  therein,  the  revenue  of  which 
shall  go  into  the  city  park  fund;  provided,  that  no  in¬ 
toxicating  liquors  shall  be  sold  or  used  upon  any  prop¬ 
erty  under  the  jurisdiction  of  this  Department. 

Section  72.  Whenever  the  United  States,  State  of 
Washington,  or  any  political  subdivision  thereof,  shall 
own  any  real  property  within  or  without  the  City  of  Se¬ 
attle,  and  the  same  or  any  interest  therein  shall  not  then 
be  necessary  for  the  purposes  for  which  the  same  was 
acquired,  the  Board  of  Park  Commissioners  shall  have 
power  to  enter  into  an  agreement  to  occupy  and  use  any 
such  public  property  or  interest  therein,  and  to  expend 
money  thereon  for  the  improvement  thereof  as  a  part  of 
the  public  park  and  recreation  system  of  said  city. 

Section  73.  There  shall  be  a  park  fund,  to  be  ex¬ 
pended  solely  by  the  Park  Commissioners,  which  shall 
consist  of  all  gifts,  bequests  and  devises  made  for  park 
and  recreation  purposes;  ten  per  cent  of  the  gross  re¬ 
ceipts  of  the  city  from  all  fines,  penalties  and  licenses; 
the  rents,  issues  and  profits  derived  from  any  property 
which  may  be  held  or  owned  in  trust  for  park  or  recrea¬ 
tion  purposes;  such  tax  levies  and  appropriations  as  the 
city  shall  make  therefor;  provided,  that  no  annual  tax 
levy  for  this  Department  shall  be  less  than  three-quar¬ 
ters  of  a  mill. 


LIBRARY  DEPART3IEAT 

Section  74.  There  shall  be  a  free  public  library  un¬ 
der  the  management  and  control  of  a  non-salaried  board 
of  five  trustees,  who  shall  be  appointed  by  the  Mayor 
with  the  consent  of  the  City  Council,  for  the  term  of  five 
years  and  be  subject  to  removal  by  the  Mayor.  The  five 
members  of  the  present  Board  of  Trustees  having  the 
longest  unexpired  terms  shall  hold  office  until  the  ex¬ 
piration  of  the  terms  for  which  they  were  appointed  re¬ 
spectively,  and  the  other  two  members  shall  retire  upon 
the  taking  effect  of  this  charter. 

Section  75.  There  shall  be  a  library  fund  which 
shall  consist  of  all  gifts,  bequests  and  devises  made  for 
the  benefit  of  said  library;  ten  per  cent  of  the  gross 
receipts  of  the  city  from  all  fines,  penalties  and  licenses;* 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


29 


the  rents,  issues  and  profits  derived  from  any  property 
held  or  owned  in  trust  for  said  library;  such  tax  levies 
and  appropriations  as  the  city  shall  make  therefor. 

ADMINISTRATIVE  DEPARTMENT 

Section  76.  There  shall  be  an  Administrative  De¬ 
partment  which  shall  consist  of  a  City  Manager,  subor¬ 
dinate  officers  and  employes.  The  City  Manager  shall 
be  a  person  of  known  administrative  ability,  with  experi¬ 
ence  in  responsible  and  important  executive  capacity  in 
the  United  States;  he  must  be  a  citizen  of  the  United 
States  and  need  not  be,  when  appointed,  a  resident  of  the 
City  of  Seattle.  The  City  Manager  shall  be  appointed  by 
the  City  Council  for  the  term  of  four  years,  subject  to 
removal  as  follows:  By  a  two-thirds  vote  of  the  entire 
City  Council  acting  on  its  own  initiative,  and  by  a  major¬ 
ity  vote  of  the  entire  City  Council  upon  the  filing  with 
it  of  a  petition  asking  for  his  removal  signed  by  qualified 
electors  equal  in  number  to  twenty-five  per  cent  of  the 
registered  voters  of  the  city  for  the  previous  year.  In 
case  the  City  Council  shall,  upon  the  filing  of  such  peti¬ 
tion,  decline  to  remove  the  City  Manager,  it  shall  sub¬ 
mit  the  question  of  his  removal  to  a  vote  of  the  people 
in  the  manner  and  within  time  provided  for  the  submis¬ 
sion  of  initiative  ordinances,  and  if  a  majority  of  the 
votes  cast  thereon  shall  be  in  favor  of  removal,  he  shall 
be  deemed  removed  from  office.  During  the  absence  or 
disability  of  the  City  Manager,  or  in  case  of  a  vacancy  in 
said  office,  the  City  Council  may  designate  some  properly 
qualified  person  temporarily  to  perform  the  duties  of  the 
office.  The  Commissioners,  Superintendents  and  other 
subordinate  officers  of  the  Administrative  Department 
shall  be  appointed  by  the  City  Manager  subject  to  removal 
by  him.  The  employees  of  the  Administrative  Department, 
in  such  number  as  shall  be  provided  by  ordinance,  shall 
be  appointed  by  the  Superintendent  or  officer  in  charge 
under  civil  service  rules. 

Section  77.  The  City  Manager  shall  exercise  con¬ 
trol  over  all  bureaus,  divisions  and  other  branches  of 
the  Administrative  Department  created  herein,  or  that 
may  hereafter  be  created,  and  except  as  otherwise  ex¬ 
pressly  provided  in  this  charter,  shall  have  full  admin¬ 
istrative  control  over,  and  responsibility  for,  all  admin¬ 
istrative  activities  of  the  city,  and  have  the  custody  and 
management  of  all  property,  real  and  personal,  and  all 
public  places  owned,  possessed,  used  or  controlled  by 
the  city,  shall  supervise  and  direct  the  care,  use,  main¬ 
tenance,  improvement  and  operation  thereof,  shall  su¬ 
perintend  and  carry  on  all  public  works,  utilities,  con¬ 
veniences,  industries  and  administrative  affairs  of  the 
city,  and  shall  account  therefor. 


30 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  78.  Included  in  the  Administrative  Depart¬ 
ment  shall  be  the  following  divisions:  Division  of  Con¬ 
tracts,  Purchases  and  Supplies;  Division  of  Engi¬ 
neering;  Division  of  Public  Utilities;  Division  of  Streets 
and  Sewers;  Division  of  Water  Works;  Division  of 
Lighting;  Division  of  Buildings;  Division  of  Fire  Pro¬ 
tection;  Division  of  Health  and  Sanitation.  The  heads 
of  the  various  Divisions,  except  as  otherwise  designated 
herein,  shall  be  known  as  Superintendents. 

Section  79.  The  Division  of  Contracts,  Purchases 
and  Supplies  shall  assemble  data  relative  to  all  proposed 
contracts,  advertise  and  receive  bids  therefor,  and  keep 
records  of  the  same.  It  shall  make  all  purchases,  have 
charge  of  and  distribute  all  supplies  for  the  city  and  its 
departments,  and  have  charge  of  and  the  disposal  of  all 
unsuitable  or  surplus  material  and  articles.  All  pur¬ 
chases  shall  be  made  under  fair  competition.  All  stand¬ 
ard  supplies  shall  be  purchased  in  bulk  and  carried  in 
stock  as  may  be  practicable  or  expedient  in  the  judg¬ 
ment  of  the  City  Manager. 

Section  80.  The  Division  of  Engineering,  the  Su¬ 
perintendent  of  which  shall  be  known  as  the  City  Engi¬ 
neer,  shall  have  charge  of  all  surveying  and  engineering 
work  of  the  city,  and,  except  as  otherwise  provided,  the 
designing  and  construction  of  all  public  works,  including 
the  construction  of  park  drives  and  boulevards  after 
their  improvement  shall  have  been  determined  by  the 
Department  of  Parks  and  Recreation,  and  shall  have  the 
control  and  regulation  of  the  harbor  and  waterfront  of 
the  city.  It  shall  make  and  have  the  custody  of  all 
engineering  records  of  the  city. 

Section  81.  The  Division  of  Public  Utilities  shall 
enforce  the  provisions  of  all  franchises,  and  have  charge 
of  the  inspection  of  weights  and  measures.  It  shall  have 
charge  of  the  regulation  of  all  public  service  corporations 
under  the  franchises  and  ordinances  of  the  city,  and 
superintend  all  street  railways  operated  by  the  City  of 
Seattle. 

Section  82.  The  Division  of  Streets  and  Sewers 
shall  have  charge  of  the  maintenance,  repair  and  clean¬ 
ing  of  all  streets,  sidewalks,  sewers  and  drains  in  the 
city,  and  of  all  public  places  the  charge  of  which  is  not 
vested  in  some  other  Department.  It  shall  have  charge 
of  the  collection  and  disposal  of  garbage. 

Section  83.  The  Division  of  Water  Works  shall 
have  charge  of  the  operation  and  maintenance  of  the 
water  system  of  the  city,  including  all  buildings  and 
grounds  and  the  property  acquired  for  watershed  or 
right-of-way  purposes. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle  31 

Section  84.  The  Division  of  Lighting  shall  have 
charge  of  the  operation  and  maintenance  of  the  lighting 
system  of  the  city,  including  all  buildings  and  grounds. 

Section  85.  The  Division  of  Buildings  shall  have 
charge  of  the  construction,  operation  and  maintenance  of 
all  the  public  buildings  of  the  city,  except  as  otherwise 
in  this  charter  provided.  It  shall  have  charge  of  the 
issuing  of  all  building  permits  and  the  inspection  of  all 
work  done  thereunder,  of  the  enforcement  of  all  building, 
wiring  and  plumbing  ordinances  of  the  city,  and  the 
inspection  of  boilers.  In  this  division  there  shall  be  a 
Board  of  Appeals  consisting  of  three  non-salaried  mem¬ 
bers  appointed  by  the  Manager,  one  member  to  be  a 
competent  architect  and  one  a  competent  builder.  The 
members  of  the  existing  Board  of  Appeals  shall  continue 
in  office  for  the  terms  for  which  they  were  appointed 
and  their  successors  shall  be  appointed  for  terms  of  three 
years.  The  members  of  such  Board  shall  be  subject  to 
removal  by  the  manager  for  malfeasance,  incapacity  or 
neglect  of  duty.  In  case  a  member  is  disqualified  by 
interest  or  unable  to  sit  in  a  particular  case  the  Manager 
shall  appoint  a  substitute  from  the  same  class.  The 
Board  of  Appeals  shall  hear  and  determine  all  appeals 
from  the  Superintendent  of  Buildings  as  to  all  building 
matters,  and  also  such  other  matters  with  relation  to 
construction  and  new  methods  and  appliances  as  may  be 
brought  to  its  attention.  The  City  Council  shall  pre¬ 
scribe  the  method  of  appeal.  The  Board  shall  establish 
rules  governing  their  meetings  and  hearings  of  appeals. 

Section  86.  The  Division  of  Fire  Protection  shall 
have  charge  of  the  extinguishment  of  all  fires,  the  con¬ 
trol  of  all  fire  stations  and  apparatus,  and  the  enforce¬ 
ment  of  all  ordinances  for  the  prevention  of  fires.  If  the 
Superintendent  of  this  Division  has  been  appointed  from 
the  classified  civil  service,  he  shall  upon  retirement,  un¬ 
less  removed  for  cause,  resume  his  former  position  in 
such  service,  and  the  last  appointees  in  positions  sub¬ 
ordinate  thereto  shall  resume  their  former  positions  re¬ 
spectively  in  such  service. 

Section  87.  The  Division  of  Health  and  Sanitation 
shall  be  in  charge  of  a  Commissioner  of  Health,  who 
shall  be  a  graduate  in  medicine  and  have  had  at  least 
five  years  in  active  practice  of  medicine  or  sanitary 
work  immediately  prior  to  appointment.  It  shall  en¬ 
force  all  laws,  ordinances  and  regulations  relative  to 
the  preservation  and  promotion  of  the  public  health,  the 
prevention  and  restriction  of  disease,  the  prevention, 
abatement  and  suppression  of  nuisances  and  unsanitary 
buildings,  the  sanitary  inspection  and  supervision  of  the 


32 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


production,  transportation,  storage  and  sale  of  food  and 
food  stuffs,  the  sanitary  supervision  of  the  city  water 
supply  and  the  sanitary  inspection  of  garbage.  It  shall 
manage  all  hospitals  and  sanitariums  that  are  established 
or  maintained  by  the  city.  It  shall  cause  a  complete  and 
accurate  system  of  vital  statistics  to  be  kept.  In  time 
of  epidemic  or  threatened  epidemic,  it  shall  make  and 
enforce  quarantine  and  isolation  regulations.  It  shall 
make  research  into  the  causes  of  disease  in  the  com¬ 
munity  and  shall  promote  the  education  and  under¬ 
standing  of  the  community  in  matters  of  public  health. 
The  Commissioner  of  Health  shall  appoint  such  medical 
assistants  and  nurses  as  are  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

Section  88.  The  City  Council  may  by  ordinance, 
upon  the  recommendation  of  the  City  Manager,  create  or 
discontinue  any  Bureau  or  Division  of  the  Administrative 
Department  and  determine,  combine  and  distribute  the 
functions  thereof,  but  the  Division  of  Contracts,  Pur¬ 
chases  and  Supplies  shall  not  be  so  discontinued.  The 
City  Manager,  except  as  otherwise  provided  in  this  char¬ 
ter,  shall  supervise  and  control  the  officers  and  employes 
of  the  Administrative  Department  and  define  and  pre¬ 
scribe  their  duties,  and  whenever  he  shall  deem  it  ex¬ 
pedient  and  for  the  betterment  of  the  service,  may  trans¬ 
fer  any  officer  or  employe  from  one  Department  to  an¬ 
other. 

DEPARTMENT  OF  AUDITS  AND  ACCOUNTS 

Section  89.  There  shall  be  a  Department  of  Audits 
and  Accounts  which  shall  consist  of  a  City  Comptroller, 
deputies  and  employes.  The  Comptroller  shall  be  elected 
by  the  City  Council  and  shall  be  subject  to  removal  by 
it.  No  person  shall  be  eligible  to  be  City  Comptroller 
unless  he  be  a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  a  resident  of 
the  City  of  Seattle  and  shall  have  had  at  least  five  years’ 
total  experience  as  a  public  accountant,  auditor  or  similar 
officer.  He  shall  appoint  a  chief  deputy  who  shall  be 
subject  to  removal  by  him,  and  may  appoint  fronv  the 
employes  of  the  Department  such  deputies  as  he  shall 
deem  expedient  and  revoke  such  appointments. 

Section  90.  The  City  Comptroller  shall  exercise 
general  supervision  over  the  financial  affairs  of  the  city, 
shall  keep  all  its  accounts,  and  all  departments  and  other 
offices  of  the  city  shall  be  subordinate  to  him  in  all 
matters  of  accounting;  shall,  semi-annually,  examine  and 
verify  all  records  and  files  of  all  departments  and  other 
offices  of  the  city,  and,  whenever  required,  shall  report  to 
the  City  Council  and  the  City  Manager  as  to  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  any  department  or  other  office;  shall  check  all 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


33 


claims  and  demands  against  the  city,  and  all  its  obliga¬ 
tions,  expenditures  and  pay  rolls;  shall  require  all  claims 
and  demands  against  the  city  to  be  verified,  and  keep  a 
record  thereof;  shall  issue  all  warrants,  keep  inventories 
of  the  property  of  the  city,  and  all  other  public  and  non- 
taxable  property  within  the  city;  shall  check  the  daily 
balances  of  the  City  Treasurer,  and  apportion  all  moneys 
collected  to  the  proper  accounts;  shall  keep  a  record  of 
all  officers  and  employes  of  the  city;  shall  hold  all 
bonds  given  to  the  city,  except  his  own,  which  shall  be 
held  by  the  Corporation  Counsel,  and  shall  immediately 
report  any  breach  of  the  conditions  of  said  bonds  to  the 
Corporation  Counsel;  shall  issue  all  licenses;  and  per¬ 
form  such  other  duties  as  may  be  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

LAW  DEPART3IE1VT 

Section  91.  There  shall  be  a  Law  Department 
which  shall  consist  of  a  Corporation  Counsel,  Assistants 
Corporation  Counsel  and  employes.  The  Corporation 
Counsel  shall  be  appointed  by  the  City  Council,  subject 
to  removal  by  it.  Assistants  Corporation  Counsel,  in 
such  number  as  shall  be  provided  by  ordinance,  shall  be 
appointed  by  the  Corporation  Counsel  and  be  subject  to 
removal  by  him  at  his  pleasure. 

Section  92.  The  Corporation  Counsel  and  each  As¬ 
sistant  Corporation  Counsel  shall  be  an  attorney  ad¬ 
mitted  to  and  qualified  to  practice  in  the  supreme  court 
of  the  State  of  Washington,  and  shall  have  practiced  his 
profession  in  the  City  of  Seattle  for  at  least  four  years* 
prior  to  his  appointment. 

Section  93.  The  Corporation  Counsel  shall  have  full 
supervisory  control  of  all  litigation  to  which  the  city  is 
a  party  or  in  which  the  city  or  any  of  its  Departments 
is  interested,  initiate  and  prosecute  all  actions  in  favor 
of  the  city,  prosecute  all  violations  of  the  ordinances  of 
the  city,  examine  and  approve  the  form  and  execution 
of  all  contracts  and  obligations  to  be  executed  by  or  in 
favor  of  the  city,  advise  the  City  Council  and  all  Depart¬ 
ments  on  all  legal  matters  relating  to  the  city  and  its 
affairs,  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  are  or  shall  be 
prescribed  by  ordinance.  The  Assistants  Corporation 
Counsel  shall  have  the  powers  of  deputies,  and  shall  per¬ 
form  such  duties  as  shall  be  required  by  the  Corporation 
Counsel. 


BEPARTMEIVT  OF  FINANCE 

Section  94.  There  shall  be  a  Department  of  Finance 
under  the  management  and  control  of  a  City  Treasurer 
to  be  appointed  by  the  City  Council  for  the  term  of  four 
years  and  subject  to  removal  by  it.  He  may  appoint 


34 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


from  the  employes  of  his  Department  such  deputies  as 
he  shall  deem  expedient  and  revoke  any  such  appoint¬ 
ment. 

Section  95.  He  shall  receive,  keep  and  pay  out  all 
money  belonging  to  the  city  and  keep  an  accurate  ac¬ 
count  of  all  receipts  and  disbursements  and  do  all  other 
things  required  of  him  by  law.  He  shall  not  pay  out 
any  money  except  on  legal  demands,  duly  allowed  and 
audited.  He  shall  make  such  reports  of  receipts  and  dis¬ 
bursements  as  are  required  by  the  City  Comptroller. 

BOARD  OF  AWARDS  AAD  ADJUST3IENTS 

Section  96.  There  shall  be  a  Board  of  Awards  and 
Adjustments  which  shall  consist  of  the  City  Manager,  the 
City  Comptroller  and  the  Corporation  Counsel.  The 
Board  shall  hold  such  regular  meetings  as  it  may  deter¬ 
mine  and  such  special  meetings  as  it  may  appoint  or  the 
chairman  may  call.  All  meetings  shall  be  public,  at  a 
stated  place,  and  a  majority  of  all  members  shall  be 
necessary  to  constitute  a  quorum.  The  Board  shall  award 
all  contracts;  adjust,  allow  and  certify  for  payment  all 
bills,  pay  rolls  and  claims;  cause  to  be  prepared  and 
certify  to  the  City  Council  all  assessment  rolls  for  local 
improvements;  hear  and  determine  all  applications  for 
permits  not  otherwise  provided  for  by  law;  fix  the 
amount  of  and  approve  the  sufficiency  of  the  sureties 
on  all  bonds,  except  as  otherwise  provided  by  law;  and 
at  least  once  in  every  six  months  examine  such  bonds 
and  determine  the  sufficiency  of  the  amount  and  sureties 
thereof  and,  in  its  discretion,  require  new  or  additional 
bonds;  and  perform  such  other  duties  as  the  Council 
shall  prescribe.  The  Comptroller  shall  be  Secretary  and 
keep  a  record  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Board. 

CONTRACTS  AND  PURCHASES 

Section  97.  All  public  works,  improvements  and 
purchases,  the  cost  of  which  exceeds  three  hundred  dol¬ 
lars,  and  all  local  improvements,  the  funds  for  the  mak¬ 
ing  of  which  are  directly  or  indirectly  to  be  derived,  in 
whole  or  in  part,  from  assessments  upon  the  property 
benefited  thereby,  shall  be  made  by  contract  to  be  let  to 
the  lowest  bidder  therefor  by  the  Board  of  Awards  and 
Adjustments,  or,  in  the  discretion  of  said  Board,  said 
works  and  improvements,  or  any  part  thereof,  may  be 
done  under  the  direction  of  the  City  Manager  by  day 
labor.  Where  the  cost  of  any  proposed  work  or  pur¬ 
chase  shall  not  exceed  three  hundred  dollars,  the  same 
shall  be  made  under  fair  competition  in  the  open  market. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


35 


Bids  may  be  called  for  and  received  for  all  or  any  part 
or  division  of  any  proposed  contract,  and  no  contract 
shall  be  sublet,  except  for  the  furnishing  of  material, 
without  the  previous  consent  of  the  City  Council;  pro¬ 
vided,  that  the  Council  may  by  ordinance  determine 
whether  an  improvement,  or  any  part  thereof,  shall  be 
made  by  contract  or  otherwise. 

Section  98.  Before  any  contract  shall  be  awarded  a 
call  for  bids  shall  be  published  once  each  week  for  two 
consecutive  weeks,  inviting  sealed  proposals  to  be  filed  in 
the  division  of  contracts,  purchases  and  supplies  on  or 
before  the  hour  named.  All  bids  shall  be  accompanied  by 
a  certified  check,  payable  to  the  order  of  the  City  Treas¬ 
urer,  or  a  surety  bond,  in  favor  of  the  city,  for  a  sum  not 
less  than  five  per  cent  of  the  amount  of  the  bid,  and  no 
bid  shall  be  considered  unless  accompanied  by  such 
check  or  bond.  All  bids  shall  be  publicly  opened  by  the 
Board  of  Awards  and  Adjustments.  No  bid  shall  be  ac¬ 
cepted  which  is  not  truly  responsive  to  the  call,  specifica¬ 
tions,  plans  and  data  issued  therefor,  but  no  bid  shall  be 
rejected  for  informality  if  it  can  be  understood  what  is 
meant  thereby.  Upon  award  of  contract  all  checks  or 
bonds  furnished  with  the  bids  submitted  shall  be  re¬ 
turned  to  the  bidders,  except  that  of  the  successful  bidder, 
which  shall  be  retained  until  a  contract  be  entered  into, 
and  if  such  bidder  fail  to  enter  into  such  contract  within 
ten  days  from  the  date  he  is  notified  of  its  award,  the 
said  check  shall  be  .forfeited  to  the  city,  and  in  case  a 
surety  bond  has  been  given,  the  corporation  counsel 
shall  enforce  the  collection  thereof,  the  proceeds  of  such 
check  or  bond  to  be  credited  to  the  fund  or  funds  from 
which  the  contract  in  question  is  to  be  paid.  All  con¬ 
tracts  shall  be  based  upon  sufficient  specifications  accom¬ 
panied  by  plans  and  other  data  to  indicate  the  nature 
of  the  works,  improvements,  services,  materials  or  ap¬ 
paratus  intended  to  be  contracted  for.  No  alternative 
bid  shall  be  accepted  unless  such  was  asked  for  on  the 
basis  of  alternative  specifications,  plans  or  other  data. 
The  board  of  awards  and  adjustments  shall  not  be  bound 
to  accept  any  of  the  bids  submitted,  but  may  reject  all 
of  them  and  order  the  contract  to  be  readvertised. 

Section  99.  No  contract  shall  be  entered  into  by 
the  city  until  it  has  been  duly  ascertained  that  funds  to 
meet  full  payment  thereunder  are  available  or  can  be 
legally  secured  therefor.  A  bond  running  to  the  city, 
as  required  by  law,  shall  be  furnished  by  any  party  to 
a  contract  with  the  city.  The  Board  of  Awards  and 
Adjustments  shall  specify  the  conditions  of  contracts. 


36 


CIi.irter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Contracts  shall  be  signed  for  the  city  by  the  City  Man¬ 
ager,  attested  by  the  City  Clerk,  with  the  seal  of  the  city 
affixed. 

Section  100.  All  contracts  for  public  works  and  im¬ 
provements  shall  provide  that  at  least  fifteen  per  cent 
of  the  amount  due  the  contractor  on  estimates  shall  be 
retained  to  secure  the  payment  of  laborers  who  have 
performed  work  thereon,  and  material  men  who  have 
furnished  material  therefor,  and  such  laborers  and  ma¬ 
terial  men  shall  for  thirty  days  after  the  completion 
and  acceptance  of  the  work  have  a  lien  on  such  fifteen 
per  cent  so  reserved,  which  lien  shall  be  senior  to  all 
other  liens.  No  improvement  shall  be  deemed  completed 
until  a  written  aceptance  thereof,  by  the  Board  of  Awards 
and  Adjustments,  has  been  filed  with  the  Comptroller. 
The  City  Council  shall  by  ordinance  prescribe  suitable 
means  and  remedies  for  the  preservation  and  enforce¬ 
ment  of  the  liens  provided  for  in  this  section.  Such  fif¬ 
teen  per  cent  thus  reserved  or.  any  part  or  balance  there¬ 
of  remaining  at  the  expiration  of  thirty  days  after  the 
acceptance  of  such  work  may  be  expended  by  the  City 
Manager  in  making  good  any  defect  discovered  in  such 
work  during  such  thirty  days,  providing  the  contractor 
has  been  notified  to  remedy  such  defect  and  has  refused. 
Such  expenditure  by  the  Manager  shall  not  relieve  either 
the  contractor  or  the  surety  of  their  obligations.  Partial 
payments  may  be  made  during  the  progess  of  any  con¬ 
tract  to  the  extent  of  eighty-five  per  cent  of  the  value 
of  the  work  performed  or  materials  delivered  under 
such  contract  during  any  calendar  month  as  estimated 
and  reported  by  the  City  Manager. 

Section  101.  No  contract  with  the  city  for  any  pub¬ 
lic  work,  improvement  or  purchase  shall  hereafter  be 
assigned  or  transferred  in  any  manner  without  first  hav¬ 
ing  indorsed  thereon  the  consent  of  the  Board  of  Awards 
and  Adjustments,  and  of  the  sureties  on  the  contractor’s 
bond,  and  no  transfer  or  assignment  thereof  shall  in  any 
wise  affect  such  bond,  or  the  liability'  of  the  sureties 
thereon,  and  any  assignment  or  transfer  thereof,  except 
by  operation  of  law,  without  such  consent  and  waiver, 
shall  make  the  same  null  and  void,  as  to  any  further  per¬ 
formance  thereof  by  the  contractor  or  his  assigns  without 
any  act  on  the  part  of  the  city;  and  the  Board  of  Awards 
and  Adjustments  shall  at  once  proceed  to  re-let  such 
contract,  or  may,  in  its  discretion,  proceed  to  complete 
the  same  as  the  agent,  and  at  the  expense  of  such  con¬ 
tractor  and  his  sureties.  No  assignment,  transfer,  aban¬ 
donment  or  surrender,  either  voluntary  or  otherwise,  of 
any  contract  with  the  city  for  any  public  work,  improve¬ 
ment  or  purchase,  nor  any  change  in  any  such  contract. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


37 


nor  any  extension  of  time  in  which  to  complete  any  such 
contract,  shall  ever  operate  to  release  the  sureties  on 
the  bond  herein  provided  for. 

Section  102.  The  Board  of  Awards  and  Adjustments 
may,  whenever  in  its  judgment  the  surety  on  such  bond 
is  insufficient,  require  a  new  or  additional  bond  to  be 
filed  within  ten  days  after  notice;  and  thereupon  all 
work  on  such  contract  shall  cease  until  such  new  or 
additional  bond  shall  be  approved  by  said  Board,  and 
if  any  such  contractor  shall  fail  for  ten  days  after  notice 
to  file  a  new  or  additional  bond,  his  contract  shall  by  that 
fact  alone  become  fully  ended  and  void  as  to  future  per¬ 
formance  thereof,  and  thereupon  the  Board  shall  order 
such  contract  to  be  re-let,  or  may,  in  its  discretion, 
order  the  completion  of  the  same  by  the  City  Manager  at 
the  expense  of  the  contractor  and  his  sureties. 

Section  103.  If  any  such  contract  shall  for  any  rea¬ 
son  become  ended  or  void,  and  the  Board  shall  complete 
the  same  as  in  this  charter  provided,  and  the  costs  of  so 
completing  such  contract  shall  exceed  the  amount  unpaid 
by  the  city  upon  such  contract  at  the  time  the  same  shall 
become  ended  or  void,  in  such  case  it  shall  be  the  duty 
of  the  Corporation  Counsel  to  at  once  commence  an 
action  in  the  name  of  the  city  against  such  contractor 
and  his  sureties  for  the  recovery  of  the  difference  in 
amo^int  between  the  cost  of  so  completing  such  contract 
and  the  amount  unpaid  by  the  city  thereon  at  the  time 
the  same  became  ended  or  void. 

Section  104.  Any  person  having  been  a  party  to  a 
contract  with  the  city,  and  having  failed  to  fulfill  the 
requirements  thereof,  shall  be  disqualified  from  being  a 
party  to  any  further  contract  with  the  city  for  a  period 
of  two  years  from  the  time  of  his  delinquency. 

BUDGET  AND  TAX  LEVY 

Section  105.  The  Council  and  every  Department, 
Division  and  Office  shall  prepare  annually  a  budget  to 
show  their  estimated  expenditures  and  revenues  for  the 
ensuing  fiscal  year,  classified  according  to  the  schedule  of 
accounts,  fully  itemized,  with  labor  or  service  shown  sep¬ 
arately  from  supplies,  materials  or  apparatus.  It  may  in¬ 
clude  emergency  funds,  to  be  expended,  however,  only 
in  cases  of  unforeseen  emergency.  Such  budget  shall  also 
show  the  corresponding  items  as  approved  in,  and  any 
unexpended  or  unincumbered  balances  from,  the  previous 
year.  The  budget  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Board  of 
Awards  and  Adjustments  not  later  than  the  first  day  of 
June,  and  by  said  Board  to  the  Council  not  later  than 
the  fifteenth  day  of  July. 


38 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  106.  The  '  consolidated  budget  shall  be  the 
basis  for  the  determination  of  the  tax  levy  by  the  council 
for  the  ensuing  fiscal  year.  The  total  tax  levy  for  any 
one  year  for  all  purposes,  except  for  the  payment  of 
interest  on  and  the  redemption  of  the  general  bonded 
indebtedness  of  the  city,  shall  not  exceed  twelve  mills  on 
each  dollar  of  the  assessed  valuation  of  property  in  the 
city.  The  first  budget  prepared  under  this  charter  shall 
include  all  current  liabilities  or  deficits  expected  to  exist 
at  the  end  of  that  fiscal  year,  the  amount  of  which  may 
be  levied  in  whole  or  in  part  in  excess  of  the  above  lim¬ 
itation,  but  the  funds  derived  therefrom  shall  be  expended 
only  for  the  specific  purposes  for  which  they  are  levied. 
Thereafter  no  deficiency  shall  be  created  except  in  case 
of  extraordinary  emergency  which  shall  be  expressed  in 
the  ordinance  creating  such  deficiency  and  then  only  by 
a  four-fifths  vote  of  the  entire  City  Council. 

Section  107.  Every  official  or  member  of  any  board 
or  body  controlling  the  expenditure  of  funds  shall  be 
personally  liable  for  any  overdraft  of  budget  funds  under 
his  or  their  direction,  unless  such  overdraft  shall  have 
been  incurred  in  a  case  of  emergency  consisting  of  a  condi¬ 
tion  or  accident  requiring  immediate  action  with  no 
specific  appropriation  available,  and  no  transfers  of  funds 
or  of  unexpended  balances  from  one  item  of  the  budget 
to  another  shall  be  allowable  except  when  such  has  been 
authorized  by  the  Council  upon  the  City  Manager’s 
recommendation. 

Section  108.  There  shall  be  a  fund  for  each  public 
utility  operated  by  the  city,  into  which  shall  be  paid  all 
revenues  derived  from  such  utility,  which  shall  be  de¬ 
voted  primarily  to  the  payment  of  the  expenses  of  oper¬ 
ation  and  maintenance,  the  cost  of  extensions  and  the 
redemption  of  the  bonded  indebtedness  thereof. 

CIVIL  SEKVICE 

Section  109.  There  shall  be  an  unsalaried  Civil 
Service  Commission  of  three  members  appointed  by  the 
Mayor.  The  members  of  the  existing  Civil  Service  Com¬ 
mission  shall  continue  in  office  for  the  terms  for  which 
they  were  appointed,  and  their  successors  shall  be  ap¬ 
pointed  to  serve  for  terms  of  four  years  each,  and  until 
their  successors  have  qualified.  Appointments  to  fill  va¬ 
cancies  shall  be  for  the  unexpired  term.  Two  commis¬ 
sioners  shall  constitute  a  quorum.  The  Mayor  may  at 
any  time,  for  good  cause,  remove  any  commissioner.  No 
commissioner  shall  be  removed  for  political  reasons. 

Section  110.  Upon  the  adoption  of  this  charter  the 
commission  shall  classify  the  service  required  of  the 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


39 


employes  of  all  departments  with  reference  to  the  duties, 
responsibilities,  and  authority  thereof  for  the  purpose  of 
fixing  and  maintaining  standards  of  service  and  examin¬ 
ation,  and  in  establishing  such  classification  detailed  in¬ 
formation  and  advice  shall  be  secured  from  the  respective 
departments.  Such  classification  shall  include  all  offices 
and  places  of  employment  now  in  existence  or  which  may 
be  hereafter  established  in  the  city’s  service  except  those 
expressly  exempted  in  Section  116.  No  office  or  place 
created  l3y  the  Council  shall  be  considered  new  unless  the 
duties  thereof  are  substantially  different  from  those  of 
any  other  existing  position  in  the  classified  service.  The 
Commission  shall  ascertain  the  duties  of  each  office  and 
place  in  the  classified  service  and  shall  designate  the 
title  of  each,  the  class  of  service  to  which  it  belongs,  and 
its  grade.  Each  grade  shall  comprise  offices  and  places 
having  substantially  similar  duties.  For  the  purpose  of 
establishing  uniformity  of  pay  for  all  offices  and  places 
of  employment  classified  in  the  same  grade,  three  rates 
of  pay  shall  be  fixed  for  each  grade,  and  advancement 
from  a  lower  to  a  higher  rate  in  any  grade  shall  be  made 
in  accordance  with  rules  prescribed  by  the  Commission. 
The  offices  and  places  so  classified  by  the  Commission 
shall  constitute  the  classified  civil  service  of  the  City  of 
Seattle,  and  no  appointment  to  any  such  offices  or  places 
shall  be  made  except  under  and  according  to  the  pro¬ 
visions  of  this  charter  and  of  the  rules  hereinafter  men¬ 
tioned;  provided,  such  classification  shall  be  revised  from 
time  to  time  to  conform  to  existing  conditions.  The  com¬ 
pensation  for  all  offices  and  places  of  employment  within 
each  grade  or  rank  shall  be  uniform. 

Section  111.  The  Commission  shall  make  necessary 
rules  not  in  conflict  with  the  provisions  of  this  charter 
governing  examinations,  appointments,  promotions,  re¬ 
movals,  investigations,  reductions  of  force,  transfers,  sus¬ 
pensions  and  leaves  of  absence,  and  the  Commission  may, 
from  time  to  time,  make  changes  in  the  existing  rules, 
and  provide  the  time  such  rules  shall  go  into  effect,  and 
for  the  publication  thereof.  The  Civil  Service  Commis¬ 
sion  shall  appoint  a  Board  of  Examiners  of  three  mem¬ 
bers,  who  shall  examine  and  certify  all  applicants  for  en¬ 
gineers’  licenses,  under  such  rules  as  may  be  prescribed 
by  said  Commission. 

Section  112.  All  applicants  for  offices  or  places  in 
the  classified  civil  service  shall  be  subjected  to  examina¬ 
tion,  which  shall  be  public,  competitive,  and  open  to  all 
citizens  of  the  United  States  with  specified  limitations  as 
to  residence,  age,  sex,  health,  habits,  experience,  moral 
character  and  qualifications  to  perform  the  duties  of  the 


40 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


office  or  place  to  be  filled,  all  of  which  shall  be  pre¬ 
scribed  by  rule  in  advance  of  the  examination.  Such  ex¬ 
aminations  shall  be  practical  in  their  character  and 
shall  relate  to  those  matters  which  will  fairly  test  the 
relative  capacity  of  the  persons  examined  to  discharge 
the  duties  of  the  positions  to  which  they  seek  to  be 
appointed  and  shall  include,  when  appropriate,  tests  of 
physical  qualifications,  health,  and  manual  or  profes¬ 
sional  skill.  The  Commission  shall  from  time  to  time 
confer  with  the  heads  of  departments  as  to  the  nature 
and  scope  of  examinations  affecting  employes  for  their 
respective  departments.  The  Commission  shall  have  the 
right  to  designate  persons,  either  in  or  not  in  the  official 
service  of  the  city,  to  act  as  examiners.  Every  applicant 
for  examination,  except  laborers  and  applicants  for  pro¬ 
motion,  shall  pay  an  examination  fee  of  one  dollar.  Pref¬ 
erence  in  employment  shall,  all  other  things  being  equal, 
be  given  to  electors  of  the  city  and  heads  of  families. 
The  Commission  shall  provide  by  rule  for  notice  of  time, 
place  and  scope  of  every  examination. 

Section  113.  A  register  shall  be  prepared  from  the 
returns  of  the  various  examinations  for  each  grade  or 
class  of  positions  in  the  classified  service  of  the  city,  con¬ 
taining  all  persons  whose  general  average  standing  upon 
examination  for  such  grade  or  class  is  not  less  than  a 
minimum  fixed  by  the  rules,  of  the  Commission,  and  who 
are  otherwise  eligible,  and  such  persons  shall  take  rank 
upon  the  register  in  the  order  of  their  relative  excellence 
as  determined  by  examination,  without  reference  to 
priority  of  time  of  examination.  All  persons  who  have 
l3een  removed  from  the  classified  civil  service,  through 
reduction  in  force  on  account  of  lack  of  work,  shall  be 
replaced  on  such  eligible  lists,  taking  their  rank  thereon 
in  accordance  with  their  standing  on  original  examin¬ 
ation  as  modified  by  their  efficiency  standing  during  the 
six  months  immediately  prior  to  their  removal. 

Section  114.  The  Commission  shall  by  its  rules  es¬ 
tablish  lines  of  promotion  in  the  various  departments 
of  the  classified  service,  provide  for  promotions  on  the 
basis  of  efficiency,  seniority  in  service  and  standing  upon 
examination,  and  shall  provide  that  vacancies  shall  be 
filled  by  promotion,  where  practicable.  All  examinations 
for  promotion  shall  be  competitive  among  such  members 
of  the  next  lower  grade,  who  have  served  a  required  mini¬ 
mum  time  in  such  grade,  as  desire  to  submit  themselves 
to  such  examination.  The  examinations  for  promotions 
and  certifications  of  candidates  shall  be  the  same,  as  near 
as  may  be,  as  provided  for  original  appointment. 

Section  115.  The  head  of  the  department  or  office 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


41 


in  which  any  position  classified  under  this  act  is  to  be 
filled  shall  notify  the  Commission  of  any  vacancies  and 
the  Commission  shall  certify  to  the  Appointing  Officer 
the  names  and  addresses  of  the  three  candidates,  if  there 
shall  be  so  many  eligible,  standing  highest  upon  the 
register  for  the  class  or  grade  to  which  such  position 
belongs,  except  that  in  case  of  laborers  where  a  choice 
by  competition  is  impracticable  the  Commission  may  pro¬ 
vide  by  its  rules  that  selections  may  be  made  by  lot 
from  among  those  candidates  proved  fit  by  examination. 
Where  there  is  more  than  one  position  to  be  filled,  the 
Commission  may  certify  a  less  number  than  three  for 
each  office,  and  may  also  limit  the  number  of  times  the 
same  person  may  be  certified.  The  appointing  officer  shall 
notify  the  Commission  separately  of  each  position  to  be 
filled  and  shall  fill  such  places  by  appointment  from  the 
persons  certified  to  him  by  the  commission  therefor, 
which  appointments  shall  be  on  probation  for  a  period 
to  be  fixed  by  the  rules.  The  Commission  may  strike  off 
the  names  of  candidates  from  the  register  after  they 
have  remained  thereon  for  a  time  to  be  limited  by  rule. 
Before  the  expiration  of  the  period  of  probation,  the 
head  of  the  department  or  office  in  which  a  candidate 
is  employed  may,  for  good  cause,  discharge  him  upon 
assigning  in  writing  his  reasons  therefor  to  the  Commis¬ 
sion.  If  he  is  not  so  discharged  his  appointment  shall  be 
deemed  complete.  To  prevent  the  stoppage  of  public 
business,  or  to  meet  extraordinary  exigencies,  the  ap¬ 
pointing  officer  may,  with  the  approval  of  the  Commis¬ 
sion,  make  temporary  appointments  to  remain  in  force 
not  exceeding  sixty  days  and  only  until  regular  appoint¬ 
ments  under  the  provisions  of  this  charter  can  be  made. 

Section  116.  The  following  city  officers  and  em¬ 
ployes  shall  not  be  included  in  the  classified  civil  service: 
All  elective  officers,  the  heads  of  all  departments,  bureaus 
and  divisions,  the  city  clerk,  the  chief  of  police,  the  as¬ 
sistants  corporation  counsel,  the  medical  assistants  and 
nurses  employed  in  the  division  of  health  and  sanitation, 
the  members  of  the  various  boards  provided  by  this  char¬ 
ter,  the  employes  of  the  library  department,  the  private 
secretaries  of  the  Mayor  and  City  Manager,  the  chief 
deputy  comptroller;  provided,  that  when  the  city  requires 
the  services  of  experts  for  work  of  a  special  or  temporary' 
nature  and  which  is  not  regularly  required  in  any  de¬ 
partment,  the  Commission  may  allow  appointment  for 
such  service  without  examination. 

Section  117.  All  persons  in  the  classified  civil  serv¬ 
ice  shall  be  subject,  for  good  cause,  to  suspension  for  a 
period  of  not  exceeding  thirty  days,  or  removal  from 
office  or  employment  by  the  head  of  the  department  in 


42 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


which  such  employe  is  working,  upon  the  head  of  such 
department  filing  with  the  Civil  Service  Commission  his 
reasons  for  such  suspension  or  removal.  Any  employe 
so  removed  may,  within  ten  days  after  his  removal,  de¬ 
mand  an  investigation,  and  said  Civil  Service  Commission 
shall  thereupon  make  such  investigation  and  shall  submit 
its  findings,  together  with  its  recommendations,  to  the 
City  Manager  in  case  such  employe  is  in  one  of  the  de¬ 
partments  under  the  control  of  the  Manager,  or  to  the 
Mayor  in  case  said  employe  is  working  in  a  department, 
the  head  whereof  is  appointed  by  the  Mayor.  The  de¬ 
cision  of  the  City  Manager  or  Mayor  as  to  re-instatement 
shall  in  all  cases  be  final. 

Section  118.  Immediate  notice  in  writing  shall  be 
given  by  the  appointing  officer  to  the  Commission  of  all 
appointments,  permanent  or  temporary,  made  in  the  clas¬ 
sified  service  and  of  all  transfers,  promotions,  resigna¬ 
tions,  or  other  changes  in  the  service  from  any  cause  and 
the  date  thereof,  and  a  record  of  the  same  shall  be  kept 
by  the  Commission.  When  any  place  of  employment  is 
created  or  abolished,  or  the  compensation  attached  there¬ 
to  altered,  such  change  shall  be  immediately  reported  in 
writing  by  the  proper  head  of  the  department  to  the 
Commission. 

Section  119.  Each  head  of  department  shall  keep 
efficiency  records  of  all  the  employes  in  his  department 
in  the  classified  civil  service,  such  records  to  be  kept  in 
the  form  and  according  to  the  rules  provided  by  the 
Civil  Service  Commission,  and  copies  of  such  records 
furnished  to  the  Commission  monthly.  The  Civil  Service 
Commission  shall  also  conduct  such  efficiency  investiga¬ 
tions  as  it  may  be  requested  to  do  by  either  the  City  Man¬ 
ager  or  the  heads  of  departments,  and  shall  report  to 
such  Manager  or  head  of  departments  its  findings  and 
recommendations.  The  Commission  shall  investigate  the 
enforcement  of  the  Civil  Service  provisions  of  this  charter 
and  of  its  rules,  and  the  conduct  and  action  of  employes 
in  the  classified  service,  and  make  reports  of  its  findings 
and  recommendations  to  the  City  Manager  and  City 
Council. 

Section  120.  The  Commission  shall  employ  a  Chief 
Examiner,  who  shall  have  general  charge  of  all  examin¬ 
ations,  act  as  Secretary  of  the  Commission,  keep  all  its 
records  and  nerform  such  other  duties  as  the  Commission 
may  prescribe.  The  City  Council  shall  provide  for  the 
expenses  of  the  Commission,  including  such  clerical  or 
other  assistants  as  may  be  necessary. 

Section  121.  No  person  or  officer  shall  willfully  or 
corruptly  deceive  or  obstruct  any  person  in  respect  to  his 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


43 


or  her  right  of  examination,  or  corruptly  or  falsely  mark, 
grade,  estimate  or  report  upon  the  examination  or  proper 
standing  of  any  person  examined  hereunder,  or  aid  in 
doing  so,  or  willfully  or  corruptly  make  any  false  repre¬ 
sentation  concerning  the  same  or  concerning  the  person 
examined,  or  willfully  or  corruptly  furnish  to  any  person 
any  special  or  secret  information  for  the  purpose  of 
either  improving  or  injuring  the  prospects  or  chances  of 
any  person  so  examined  or  to  be  examined,  to  be  ap¬ 
pointed,  employed  or  promoted. 

Section  122.  No  person  in  the  classified  service,  or 
seeking  admission  thereto,  shall  be  appointed,  removed 
or  suspended,  or  in  any  way  favored  or  discriminated 
against,  because  of  political  opinions  or  affiliations  or  re¬ 
ligious  belief.  No  officer  or  employe  of  the  city  shall,  di¬ 
rectly  or  indirectly,  solicit  receive  or  give,  or  be  in  any 
manner  concerned  in  soliciting,  receiving  or  giving  any 
assessment,  subscription  or  contribution  for  any  politi¬ 
cal  party  or  political  purpose  whatsoever.  The  civil 
service  employes  shall  refrain  from  partisan  activity  in 
municipal  campaigns. 

Section  123.  No  applicant  for  appointment  or  pro¬ 
motion  in  the  classified  civil  service  shall  either  directly 
or  indirectly  pay  or  promise  to  pay  any  money  or  other 
valuable  thing  to  any  person  whatever  for  or  on  ac¬ 
count  of  his  appointment  or  promotion,  nor  shall  he  ask 
for  or  receive  any  recommendation  or  assistance  from 
any  officer  or  employe  in  said  service,  or  of  any  other 
person,  in  consideration  of  any  political  service  to  be 
rendered  to  or  for  such  person,  or  for  the  promotion  of 
such  person  to  any  office  or  appointment.  No  recommen¬ 
dation  by  any  officer,  city,  county,  state  or  national,  ex¬ 
cept  as  to  character,  residence  or  fitness  of  the  applicant 
shall  be  received  or  considered  by  any  person  concerned 
in  any  examination  or  appointment  under  this  charter, 
and  no  recommendation  whatever  shall  be  made  by  or 
accepted  from  the  Mayor,  City  Manager  or  any  member 
of  the  City  Council. 

Section  124.  The  Commission  shall  certify  to  the 
City  Comptroller  all  appointments  to  places  and  offices 
in  the  classified  civil  service,  and  all  vacancies  occurring 
therein.  Neither  the  Comptroller  or  auditing  body  shall 
approve  the  payment  of,  nor  shall  the  Treasurer  pay,  any 
salary  or  wages  to  any  person  for  services  as  an  officer 
or  employe  of  the  city  unless  such  person  is  occupying 
an  office  or  place  of  employment  according  to  the  provi¬ 
sions  of  law,  and  is  shown  by  the  certificate  of  the  Civil 
Service  Commission  to  be-  entitled  to  payment  therefor. 


44 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Section  125.  Any  civil  service  employe  who  shall 
willfully  or  through  culpable  negligence  violate  any  of 
the  civil  service  provisions  of  this  charter,  and  who  shall 
be  convicted  thereof  after  a  trial  before  the  Civil  Service 
Commission,  shall  be  dismissed  from  the  service  of  the 
city  and  be  ineligible  to  reappointment.  Any  officer  or 
employe  of  the  city,  other  than  those  holding  office  under 
the  civil  service,  who  shall  willfully  or  through  culpable 
negligence  violate  any  of  the  civil  service  provisions  of 
this  charter,  and  who  shall  be  convicted  thereof,  shall  for¬ 
feit  his  office  or  position,  and  shall  be  ineligible  to  hold 
any  office  or  place  of  employment  under  the  city  there¬ 
after.  Any  other  person  who  shall  willfully,  or  through 
culpable  negligence,  violate  any  of  the  civil  service  pro¬ 
visions  of  this  charter  shall  be  punished  as  prescribed 
by  ordinance.  The  City  Council  shall  provide  by  ordi¬ 
nance  for  prosecutions  under  this  section. 

Section  126.  Any  person  in  the  classified  civil  serv¬ 
ice  who  shall  be  injured  in  the  discharge  of  duty  so  as 
to  be  temporarily  disabled,  shall,  unless  otherwise  com¬ 
pensated,  receive  during  such  disability  full  pay  for  not 
to  exceed  thirty  days  or  half  pay  for  not  to  exceed  six 
months,  and  if  such  person  shall  be  injured  while  in  the 
discharge  of  duty  so  as  to  be  permanently  disabled,  or  for 
an  indefinite  length  of  time,  such  person  shall  receive 
pay  while  such  disability  continues  in  an  amount  to  be 
fixed  by  the  City  Council,  not  exceeding  twenty  per  cent 
of  the  pay  received  by  such  person  at  the  time  of  injury. 
The  Commission  shall  prescribe  such  rules  as  may  be 
necessary  for  carrying  out  the  purposes  of  this  section 
and  may  provide  suitable  medals  of  honor  for  distin¬ 
guished  bravery  or  service  while  in  the  line  of  duty. 

Section  127.  The  head  of  any  department  shall 
grant  fifteen  days’  vacation  with  pay  in  any  one  year 
to  any  person  or  employe  in  the  service  of  the  city  who 
has  been  regularly  and  continuously  employed  for  at  least 
one  year. 

Section  128.  All  persons  who  at  the  time  of  the 
adoption  of  this  charter  are  regular  civil  service  employes 
shall  continue  to  perform  their  respective  duties  under 
and  subject  to  the  provisions  of  this  charter.  Those  who 
by  the  adoption  of  this  charter  are  for  the  first  time  in¬ 
cluded  in  the  classified  civil  service,  and  who  have’  prior 
to  its  adoption  continuously  served  the  city  in  the  same 
capacity  for  six  months  immediately  prior  thereto,  shall 
be  qualified  for  their  respective  positions  without  further 
examination,  subject  to  classification  by  the  Commission. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


45 


OFFICERS,  TER3IS  AND  SALARIES 

Section  129.  Elective  officers  of  the  City  of  Seattle 
shall  be  the  Mayor  and  the  members  of  the  City  Coun¬ 
cil.  The  appointive  officers  of  the  City  of  Seattle  shall 
be  all  those  appointed  by  the  Mayor,  the  Council  and  the 
City  Manager,  as  provided  in  this  charter. 

Section  130.  The  term  of  elective  officers  shall  be 
for  two  years  and  until  their  successors  are  elected  and 
qualified. 

Unless  otherwise  expressly  provided  in  this  charter, 
the  term  of  every  appointive  officer  shall  be  for  four 
years  and,  except  in  case  of  removal,  until  his  successor 
is  appointed  and  qualified. 

Section  131.  The  terms  of  all  officers  elected  by 
popular  vote  shall  commence  at  twelve  o’clock,  noon,  on 
the  second  Monday  after  their  election,  and  they  shall 
qualify  before  said  date.  The  terms  of  all  other  officers 
shall  commence  upon  the  date  of  their  qualification, 
which  shall  be  within  ten  days  after  their  election  or  ap¬ 
pointment,  unless  the  time  for  qualification  is  extended 
by  the  appointing  power. 

Section  132.  Every  officer  of  the  city  and  each  of 
his  assistants,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  his 
office,  shall  take  and  subscribe  an  oath  or  affirmation  that 
he  will  support  the  constitution  of  the  United  States  and 
of  the  State  of  Washington  and  that  he  will  faithfully 
comply  with  and  abide  by  all  the  requirements  of  the 
charter  and  ordinances  of  the  City  of  Seattle,  and  will 
faithfully  demean  himself  in  office. 

Section  133.  All  salaried  officers  of  the  city,  except 
police  officers,  and  all  other  officers  and  employes  having 
under  their  custody  and  control  money  or  property  of  the 
city  shall,  before  entering  upon  the  duties  of  office,  give 
bond,  with  approved  sureties,  to  the  city  in  such  sum  as 
shall  be  designated  by  ordinance,  conditioned  for  the 
faithful  performance  of  his  duties  and  for  the  payment 
over  of  all  moneys  belonging  to  the  city  as  provided 
by  law. 

The  bond  of  the  Chief  of  Police  shall  also  contain 
the  condition  that  he  will  pay  all  such  actual  damages 
as  may  be  sustained  by  any  person  arrested  without  a 
warrant  by  reason  of  any  false  or  unlawful  imprisonment 
by  or  under  the  direction  of  such  Chief  of  Police. 

Section  134.  The  annual  salaries  of  the  following 
officers  of  the  city  shall  be:  City  Manager,  twelve  thou¬ 
sand  dollars;  Corporation  Counsel,  six  thousand  dollars; 


46 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


Mayor,  five  thousand  dollars;  Comptroller,  forty-two  hun¬ 
dred  dollars;  Treasurer,  forty- two  hundred  dollars.  Each 
member  of  the  City  Council  shall  receive  five  dollars  for 
each  day’s  attendance  upon  any  meeting  of  the  City  Coun¬ 
cil,  such  compensation  not  to  be  paid  for  more  than  sixty 
days’  attendance  in  any  one  year.  All  other  officers,  sub¬ 
ordinate  officers  and  employes  of  the  city  shall  be  paid 
such  compensation  as  is  or  may  be  fixed  by  ordinance. 
The  salary  of  any  elective  or  appointive  officer  shall  not 
be  increased  after  his  election  or  appointment  or  during 
the  term  for  which  he  shall  have  been  elected  or  appoint¬ 
ed.  No  officer  or  employe  of  the  city  shall  receive  any 
compensation  for  his  services  to  the  city  other  than  his 
salary. 

Section  135.  An  office  becomes  vacant  on  failure  to 
qualify  within  the  time  limited  by  the  charter,  upon  the 
death  or  removal  from  office  or  resignation  of  the  incum¬ 
bent,  or  his  removal  from  or  absence  from  the  city  for 
sixty  days  without  leave  of  the  City  Council,  or  upon  an 
adjudication  of  insanity  by  a  court  of  competent  jurisdic¬ 
tion;  by  a  conviction  of  drunkenness,  or  by  any  perma¬ 
nent  disability,  preventing  the  proper  discharge  of  his 
duty. 

Section  136.  If  any  appointive  office  becomes  vacant 
it  shall  be  filled  in  the  same  manner  as  the  original  ap¬ 
pointment  and  the  appointee  to  the  vacancy  shall  hold 
for  the  unexpired  term.  If  any  elective  office  becomes  va¬ 
cant  the  City  Council  shall  fill  the  same  for  the  unexpired 
term  by  election  in  the  manner  elsewhere  provided  in 
this  charter. 

Section  137.  The  City  Council  shall  have  power  to 
remove  the  Mayor  or  any  of  its  members  for  willful  vio¬ 
lation  of  duty  during  his  term  of  office  or  for  the  commis¬ 
sion  of  a  crime  or  misdemeanor,  upon  charges  preferred 
by  any  member  of  the  City  Council.  If  two-thirds  of  all 
the  members  of  the  City  Council  shall  find  the  accused 
guilty,  then  the  accused  shall  forfeit  his  office.  The  ac¬ 
cused  shall  be  furnished  with  a  copy  of  the  charges  and 
shall  have  the  right  to  appear  with  counsel  and  make  his 
defense  at  the  trial  held  on  such  charges. 

Section  138.  No  officer,  subordinate  officer  or  em¬ 
ploye  of  the  city  shall  hold  any  other  office  or  position, 
federal,  state,  county  or  municipal,  except  in  the  National 
Guard  or  as  a  notary  public,  or  hold  any  other  office  or 
position  with  the  city;  or  be  directly  or  indirectly  inter¬ 
ested  in  any  contract  with  or  for  the  use  of  the  city,  or 
become  surety  for  the  performance  of  any  such  contract. 
No  officer  shall  accept  from  any  railroad  or  street  railroad 
corporation  operating  in  whole  or  in  part  in  the  city,  any 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


47 


pass  or  free  transportation  or  transportation  upon  any 
terms  save  such  as  are  open  to  the  public  generally.  The 
violation  of  any  of  the  provisions  of  this  section  shall 
work  a  forfeiture  of  the  office  or  position  of  the  person  vio¬ 
lating  the  same.  Any  officer  guilty  of  accepting  such  pass, 
free  transportation  or  transportation  upon  terms  not  open 
to  the  public  generally,  shall  also  forfeit  to  the  city  all 
sums  of  money  paid  him  by  the  city  as  salary  during  the 
term  in  which  he  shall  be  guilty  of  such  misconduct. 

Section  139.  No  elective  officer  of  the  city  shall  be 
eligible  to  any  appointive  office  in  the  city  during  the 
term  for  which  he  was  elected. 

HOURS  OF  LABOR 

Section  140.  In  all  public  works  done  by  or  for 
the  city,  either  by  day’s  work  or  by  contract,  eight  hours 
shall  constitute  a  day’s  work;  and  no  employe  of  the  city 
on  city  works,  or  of  any  contractor  or  sub-contractor  of 
such  work  shall  be  required  to  work  longer  than  eight 
hours  in  any  one  calendar  day,  excepting  in  case  of  ex¬ 
traordinary  emergency  as  defined  by  law. 

MINBIUM  WAGE 

Section  141.  Every  contractor,  sub-contractor  or 
city  officer  performing  any  work  for  the  City  of  Seattle 
upon  streets,  public  places  or  public  property,  shall  pay 
or  cause  to  be  paid  to  his  employes  on  such  work  not 
less  than  the  current  rate  of  wages  paid  by  the  City  of 
Seattle  for  work  of  like  character  and  in  no  event  less 
than  two  and  seventy-five  hundredths  dollars  per  day. 
Said  contractor  and  sub-contractor  shall,  on  such  work, 
give  preference  to  resident  laborers.  A  violation  of  any 
of  the  provisions  of  this  section  by  any  contractor,  or 
sub-contractor,  shall  be  sufficient  ground  for  the  for¬ 
feiture  of  his  contract. 

ART  COMMISSION 

Section  142.  The  City  Council  is  authorized  to  create 
a  non-salaried  Art  Commission  which  shall  advise  and 
recommend  in  regard  to  the  location  of  public  thorough¬ 
fares  and  places,  and  the  design  and  appearance  of  engi¬ 
neering  works  such  as  bridges,  viaducts,  water  towers, 
retaining  walls,  street  fixtures  and  other  related  struc¬ 
tures,  city  buildings  and  public  works  of  art. 

LOCAL  IMPROVEMENTS 

Section  143.  The  city  shall  have  power  to  make 
local  improvements  and  levy  and  collect  special  assess¬ 
ments  therefor  in  whole  or  in  part;  and  may  provide  for 
the  payment  of  all  or  a  part  of  the  cost  and  expense  of 


48 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


any  local  improvement  by  bonds  of  the  improvement  dis¬ 
trict,  issued  to  the  contractor  or  issued  and  sold  by  the 
city;  provided,  that  no  ordinance  initiating  any  local  im¬ 
provement  shall  be  effective  over  the  written  objections 
of  the  owners  of  a  majority  of  the  lineal  frontage  and  of 
the  area  within  the  limits  of  the  proposed  improvement 
district  filed  with  the  City  Clerk  prior  to  the  final  passage 
of  such  ordinance,  unless  it  shall  receive  the  affirmative 
vote  of  at  least  two-thirds  of  all  the  members  of  the 
City  Council. 


FRANCHISES 

Section  144.  Every  grant  of  a  franchise,  right  or 
privilege  shall  be  subject  to  the  right  of  the  City  Council, 
or  the  people  of  the  city  acting  for  themselves  by  the 
initiative  and  referendum,  at  any  time  subsequent  to  the 
grant,  to  repeal,  amend  or  modify  the  said  grant  with  due 
regard  to  the  rights  of  the  grantee  and  the  interest  of  the 
public;  and  to  cancel,  forfeit  and  abrogate  any  such  grant 
if  the  franchise  granted  thereby  is  not  operated  in  full 
accordance  with  its  provisions,  or  at  all;  and  at  any  time 
during  the  grant  to  acquire,  by  purchase  or  condemnation, 
for  the  use  of  the  city  itself,  all  the  property  of  the  gran¬ 
tee  within  the  limits  of  the  public  streets,  acquired  or 
constructed  under  the  particular  franchise  in  question, 
at  a  fair  and  just  value,  which  shall  not  include  any  valu¬ 
ation  of  the  franchise  itself,  which  shall  thereupon  ter¬ 
minate;  and  every  ordinance  making  any  such  grant  shall 
contain  a  reservation  of  these  rights  of  the  City  Council, 
and  of  the  people  of  the  city  acting  for  themselves  by  the 
initiative  and  referendum,  to  so  repeal,  amend  or  modify 
said  ordinance,  and  to  so  cancel,  forfeit  and  abrogate  the 
grant,  and  to  so  acquire  the  property  of  the  grantee  in 
the  public  streets  acquired  or  constructed  under  said  fran¬ 
chise,  as  hereinabove  set  forth.  The  City  Council  shall 
not  consider  or  grant  any  application  for  extension  of  the 
period  of  any  franchise,  nor  any  new  franchise  covering 
all  or  any  substantial  part  of  the  rights  or  privileges  of 
any  existing  franchise,  until  within  three  years  of  the 
expiration  of  the  existing  grant,  and  then  only  after  sub¬ 
mission  to  and  approval  by  majority  vote  of  the  qualified 
electors. 

The  City  Council  shall  not  grant  authority  to  con¬ 
struct  a  street  railway,  or  lay  down  street  railway  tracks 
along,  upon,  over  or  under  any  of  the  streets  of  the  city, 
except  in  manner  and  on  the  terms  following:  Upon  the 
application  being  made  to  the  City  Council  for  authority 
to  construct  and  operate  a  street  railway  along,  upon, 
over  or  under  any  of  said  streets,  the  City  Council  shall  by 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


49 


resolution  determine  whether  such  franchise,  or  any  part 
thereof,  shall  be  granted,  and  after  such  determination 
shall  cause  notice  of  such  application  and  resolution  to 
be  published  once  a  week  for  two  consecutive  weeks  in  the 
city  official  newspaper,  at  the  expense  of  the  applicant, 
Such  resolution  and  notice  shall  specify  the  route  or 
routes  over  and  along  which  it  proposes  to  grant  such 
franchise,  the  period  for  which  it  is  proposed  to  be  grant¬ 
ed,  and  shall  further  specify  all  the  terms  and  conditions 
thereof,  including  maximum  rates  of  fare,  by  cash  and 
tickets,  the  transfer  regulations  prescribed  and  the  an¬ 
nual  percentage  of  not  less  than  two  per  cent  of  gross  re¬ 
ceipts  required  to  be  paid  into  the  city  treasury.  If  the 
application  be  made  by,  or  directly  or  indirectly  in  behalf 
of  the  grantee,  or  owner  of  any  existing  street  railway 
system,  or  the  route  or  routes  asked  for  are  such  as  con¬ 
stitute  a  virtual  extension  or  connection  with  any  exist¬ 
ing  system,  even  though  there  be  no  apparent  identity 
of  ownership,  or  probable  community  of  interest,  in  any 
such  case  the  franchise  shall  be  granted  only  for  a  term 
equal  to  the  unexpired  franchise  of  the  existing  system 
with  which  the  new  line  is  proposed  to,  or  can  be  con¬ 
veniently  connected,  and  transfer  arrangements  shall  be 
stipulated  in  the  grant.  Common  user  trackage  facilities 
and  appurtenances  shall  be  required  in  all  franchises  on 
any  route,  to  be  made  available  for  other  franchise  gran¬ 
tees,  and  for  the  city  itself  at  any  time  during  the  grant, 
upon  contribution  of  a  fair  proportion  of  the  cost  and 
maintenance  expense,  not  including  any  franchise  valua¬ 
tion  allowance,  and  if  the  compensation  for  such  common 
user  cannot  be  agreed  voluntarily  between  respective 
grantees,  or  the  city  itself,  it  shall  be  fixed  by  arbitration, 
each  party  appointing  one  arbitrator,  and  if  the  two  fail 
to  agree,  they  shall  appoint  a  third,  and  the  result  of  such 
arbitration  shall  be  binding  upon  the  parties.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  City  Council  to  incorporate  in  every 
such  franchise  efficient  provisions  for  the  compulsory  ar¬ 
bitration  of  all  disputes  which  may  arise  between  the 
grantee  or  his  successors  or  assigns,  and  his,  its  or  their 
employes,  as  to  any  matter  of  employment  or  wages.  The 
proposed  franchise  shall  further  contain  all  other  reser¬ 
vations  and  limitations  set  forth  in  this  charter  and  the 
laws  of  the  state.  (Alternate  proposition  No.  1  submitted 
with  this  charter  to  be  inserted  here  and  become  a  part 
of  this  charter,  if  this  charter  is  adopted  and  if  said  al¬ 
ternate  proposition  is  separately  adopted.) 

The  proposed  franchise  shall  thereupon  be  offered 
and  advertised  for  bids  to  ascertain  the  person,  company 
or  corporation  who  will  accept,  construct  and  operate  un¬ 
der  said  franchise  at  the  lowest  rates  of  fare,  to  be  substi- 


50 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


tuted  in  lieu  of  the  maximum  rates  set  forth  in  the  resolu¬ 
tion.  Bidding  for  the  franchise  shall  be  in  accordance 
with  provisions  of  this  charter  in  relation  to  bids  made 
on  city  contracts,  so  far  as  such  provisions  may  be  appli¬ 
cable,  and  the  City  Council  may  reject  any  and  all  bids 
and  may  refuse  to  grant  a  franchise  for  all  or  any  part 
of  the  route  for  which  application  was  made.  Each  bid 
must  be  accompanied  by  a  certified  check  payable  to  the 
City  Treasurer  for  the  sum  of  one  thousand  dollars  and 
the  amount  of  the  check  shall  be  forfeited  and  paid  to 
the  city  in  case  the  successful  bidder  shall  fail  to  accept 
the  franchise,  and  upon  acceptance,  the  sum  so  paid  shall 
be  credited  to  the  grantee  on  account  of  percentages.  The 
City  Council  shall  consider  the  bids,  and  with  due  regard 
to  cash  and  ticket  fares,  transfer  regulations  and  connec¬ 
tions,  shall  decide  and  designate  the  bidder  whose  pro¬ 
posal  offers  the  lowest  fares  to  the  people,  not  exceeding 
the  maximum  rates  named  in  the  resolution.  Thereupon, 
if  the  proposed  franchise  be  for  any  new  system,  or  in¬ 
cludes  any  business  thoroughfares  or  any  trunk  line  or 
canyon  route  upon  which  no  tracks  have  been  laid  under 
any  previous  franchise,  then  the  said  franchise  shall  be 
submitted  to  the  vote  of  the  qualified  electors  at  the  next 
ensuing  general  municipal  election  for  their  ratification 
or  rejection.  If  the  designated  best  bidder  shall  offer  and 
provide  the  expense  of  a  special  election,  the  City  Coun¬ 
cil  may  authorize  the  vote  to  be  taken  at  a  special  elec¬ 
tion.  If  the  proposed  franchise  be  for  an  extension  of  an 
existing  system  in  a  residence  district  and  does  not  in¬ 
clude  any  trunk  line  or  canyon  route,  the  franchise  shall 
not  be  submitted  to  referendum  unless  the  City  Council 
shall  so  direct,  or  a  referendum  petition  signed  by  a  num¬ 
ber  of  qualified  voters  equal  to  not  less  than  six  per  cent 
of  the  total  registration  for  the  previous  year,  be  filed  with 
the  City  Clerk,  within  thirty  days  after  the  official  pub¬ 
lication  of  the  designation  of  the  best  bidder  for  the  pro¬ 
posed  franchise,  and  during  said  period  of  thirty  days  the 
franchise  shall  be  in  abeyance.  If  no  referendum  petition 
be  filed,  the  City  Council  may  finally  pass  the  ordinance 
and  grant  the  franchise.  If  a  referendum  petition  be  filed 
the  franchise  shall  be  submitted  to  vote  of  the  qualified 
electors  at  the  next  general  election,  or  at  a  special  elec¬ 
tion,  if  the  proposed  grantee  shall  offer  and  provide  the 
expense  thereof,  and  the  City  Council  shall  authorize  the 
same.  Official  publication,  notices  of  election,  conduct 
and  manner  of  elections,  preparation  of  official  ballots, 
counting  and  canvassing  of  votes,  and  certifying  of  re¬ 
turns  of  any  election  on  the  granting  of  a  franchise  shall 
be  done  substantially  as  is  provided  for  the  submission  to 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


51 


vote  of  the  people  on  initiative  ordinances.  If  the  pro¬ 
posed  franchise  ordinance  receives  in  its  favor  a  majority 
of  all  the  votes  cast  for  and  against  the  same,  it  shall  be 
deemed  to  be  ratified,  and  the  City  Council  may  thereupon 
finally  pass  and  adopt  the  same.  If  it  fail  to  receive  said 
majority  in  its  favor,  the  franchise  ordinance  shall  be 
deemed  rejected  and  no  further  proceedings  shall  be  had 
thereunder.  The  same  methods  of  procedure  shall  obtain 
in  the  extension  of  any  existing  franchises,  or  any  rights 
thereunder,  as  in  the  grant  of  a  new  franchise.  No  street 
railway  franchise  shall  in  any  event  be  granted,  extended 
or  renewed  to  any  date  beyond  December  31st,  1934.  ' 

A  minority  of  the  City  Council,  including  not  less 
than  one-third  of  all  the  members  elected,  shall  have  the 
right  and  power  to  invoke  a  referendum  vote  on  a  fran¬ 
chise  ordinance  without  the  filing  of  any  petition  therefor. 

Section  145.  Every  franchise  for  steam  railroad 
tracks  upon  any  street,  alley  or  public  place,  shall  con¬ 
tain  a  provision  permitting  joint  user  of  such  tracks  by 
the  city  and  the  Port  of  Seattle,  upon  such  terms  and 
conditions  as  shall  be  specified  in  the  ordinance  granting 
such  franchise. 


LIQUOR  LICENSES 

Section  146.  The. power  of  the  City  Council  to  grant 
liquor  licenses  shall  be  subject  to  the  limitations  and  re¬ 
strictions  hereinafter  set  forth. 

(a)  Hereafter  no  license  (except  a  wholesale  li¬ 
cense  as  hereinafter  defined)  shall  be  granted  to  any  per¬ 
son  or  persons,  authorizing  the  sale  or  giving  away  or 
other  disposal  of  any  intoxicating,  spirituous,  malt, 
vinous,  mixed  or  fermented  liquors  at  any  place  within 
the  limits  of  the  City  of  Seattle  outside  of  the  districts 
hereinbelow  designated  for  the  granting  of  licenses,  ex¬ 
cept  as  otherwise  specifically  hereinbelow  provided.  The 
City  Council,  in  its  discretion,  subject  to  the  limitations 
herein  stated,  shall  have  authority  to  grant  such  licenses 
within  the  limits  of  the  four  saloon  patrol  districts  here¬ 
inbelow  described,  it  being  understood  that  the  designa¬ 
tion  of  any  street  in  defining  the  boundary  of  any  of  the 
districts  herein  contained  shall  be  taken  to  mean  and  in¬ 
clude  within  the  district  premises  with  frontages  upon 
either  side  of  the  street  named,  but  when  a  specific  mar¬ 
gin  of  any  boundary  street  is  designated,  it  shall  be  taken 
to  mean  and  include  within  the  district  only  frontages 
upon  said  margin-  of  said  street. 

Boundaries  of  Saloon  Patrol  District  Number  One: 

Beginning  at  the  intersection  of  First  Avenue  and 
Wall  Street  and  running  thence  easterly  on  Wall  Street 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


to  the  west  margin  of  the  alley  between  First  and  Second 
Avenues;  thence  southerly  on  the  west  margin  of  said 
alley  to  the  south  margin  of  Pine  Street;  thence  easterly 
on  the  south  margin  of  Pine  Street  to  the  west  margin 
of  Third  Avenue;  thence  southerly  on  the  west  margin 
of  Third  Avenue  to  Pike  Street;  thence  easterly  on  Pike 
Street  to  Fifth  Avenue;  thence  southerly  on  the  west 
margin  of  Fifth  Avenue  to  a  point  seventy-five  feet  south¬ 
erly  from  Pike  Street;  thence  westerly,  parallel  with  and 
seventy-five  feet  southerly  from  Pike  Street  to  the  west 
margin  of  the  alley  between  Third  and  Fourth  Avenues; 
thence  southerly  along  the  west  margin  of  said  alley  to 
a  point  sixty  feet  northerly  from  Union  Street;  thence 
westerly,  parallel  with  and  sixty  feet  northerly  from 
Union  Street  to  a  point  sixty  feet  westerly  from  Third 
Avenue;  thence  southerly,  parallel  with  and  sixty  feet 
westerly  from  Third  Avenue  to  a  point  sixty  feet  south¬ 
erly  from  Union  Street;  thence  westerly,  parallel  with 
and  sixty  feet  southerly  from  Union  Street  to  the  west 
margin  of  the  alley  between  Second  and  Third  Avenues; 
thence  southerly  along  the  west  margin  of  said  alley  to 
the  south  margin  of  Cherry  Street;  thence  easterly  along 
the  south  margin  of  Cherry  Street  to  Third  Avenue; 
thence  southerly  along  Third  Avenue  to  Yesler  Way; 
thence  east  along  Yesler  Way  to  Fifth  Avenue  South; 
thence  south  on  Fifth  Avenue  South  to  King  Street; 
thence  east  on  King  Street  to  Maynard  Avenue;  thence 
south  on  Maynard  Avenue  to  Lane  Street;  thence  east  on 
Lane  Street  to  Seventh  Avenue  South;  thence  south  on 
Seventh  Avenue  South  to  Charles  Street;  thence  east  on 
Charles  Street  to  Eighth  Avenue  South;  thence  south  on 
Eighth  Avenue  South  to  the  point  of  intersection  of  the 
east  margin  fo  Eighth  Avenue  South  with  the  west  mar¬ 
gin  of  the  right-of-way  of  the  Northern  Pacific  and  Co¬ 
lumbia  and  Puget  Sound  Railways;  thence  southerly 
along  the  west  margin  of  said  right-of-way  to  the  north 
side  of  Nevada  (formerly  Rainier)  Street;  thence  west 
along  the  north  side  of  said  Nevada  Street  to  Eighth 
Avenue  South;  thence  north  along  Eighth  Avenue  South 
to  Hanford  Street;  thence  westerly  along  Hanford  Street 
to  Sixth  Avenue  South;  thence  north  along  Sixth  Avenue 
South  to  Holgate  Street;  thence  west  along  Holgate  Street 
to  the  east  margin  of  Utah  Street;  thence  north  on  the 
east  margin  of  Utah  Street  to  Connecticut  Street;  thence 
west  on  Connecticut  Street  to  the  east  margin  of  Railroad 
Avenue;  thence  north  along  the  east  margin  of  Railroad 
Avenue  to  Yesler  Way  and  continuing  north  along  the 
east  margin  of  Western  Avenue  to  Columbia  Street; 
thence  easterly  along  the  south  margin  of  Columbia  Street 
to  the  east  margin  of  Post  Street;  thence  northerly  along 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


53 


the  east  margin  of  Post  Street  to  a  point  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  northerly  from  Madison  Street;  thence 
westerly,  parallel  with  and  one  hundred  twenty  feet  north¬ 
erly  from  Madison  Street  to  the  east  margin  of  Railroad 
Avenue;  thence  northerly  along  the  easterly  margin  of 
Railroad  Avenue  to  Wall  Street;  thence  easterly  on  Wall 
Street  to  First  Avenue  and  the  place  of  beginning;  in¬ 
cluding  also  frontages  upon  both  sides  of  First  Avenue 
from  Wall  Street  to  the  south  margin  of  Denny  Way; 
provided,  however,  that  premises  with  frontages  upon 
Second  Avenue  between  Pike  Street  and  Pine  Street,  and 
premises  with  frontages  upon  Jackson  Street  between 
Third  Avenue  South  and  Fifth  Avenue  South  shall  not 
be  deemed  to  be  included  within  the  above  district. 
Boundaries  of  Saloon  Patrol  District  Number  Two: 

Ballard  Avenue  and  one  hundred  feet  on  both  sides 
thereof  from  the  west  margin  of  Seventeenth  Avenue 
Northwest  (formerly  First  Avenue  West)  to  the  south 
margin  of  the  street  platted  as  Jefferson  Place;  also  a 
strip  of  land  one  hundred  feet  wide  along  the  southwest¬ 
erly  side  of  Ballard  Avenue  extending  from  Jefferson 
Place  to  the  northerly  margin  of  lot  eight,  block  seventy- 
two,  Gilman  Park  Addition. 

Boundaries  of  Saloon  Patrol  District  Number  Three: 

The  premises  for  which  a  license  existed  on  March  3, 
1908,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Cloverdale  Street  and 
Eighth  Avenue  South;  the  premises  for  which  a  license 
existed  on  March  3,  1908,  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Cal¬ 
edonia  Street  and  Eighth  Avenue  South;  frontages  on 
Valley  Road  between  Orchard  and  Caledonia  Street;  the 
premises  upon  which  a  license  existed  on  March  3,  1908, 
at  or  near  the  northeast  corner  of  what  is  commonly 
known  as  the  McNatt  Ranch,  within  the  limits  of  the 
former  municipality  of  South  Park,  now  a  part  of  the 
City  of  Seattle. 

Boundaries  of  Saloon  Patrol  District  Number  Four: 

Beginning  fifty  feet  west  on  Lucelle  Street  from  the 
intersection  of  Lucelle  Street  and  Duwamish  Avenue ; 
thence  southerly  and  parallel  with  and  including  front¬ 
ages  on  the  west  side  of  Duwamish  Avenue  to  the  south 
side  of  Vale  Street;  thence  westerly  on  Vale  Street  to 
Twelfth  Avenue  South;  thence  southerly  on  Twelfth  Ave¬ 
nue  South  to  the  north  margin  of  Harney  Street;  pro¬ 
vided,  however,  that  premises  with  frontages  on  Du¬ 
wamish  Avenue  at  the  northwest  corner  of  Duwamish 
Avenue  and  Vega  Street  shall  be  deemed  to  be  included 
within  the  above  Number  Four  District. 


54 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


(b)  The  City  Council  in  its  discretion,  subject  to  the 
limitations  herein  stated,  shall  have  authority  to  grant 
licenses  for  the  sale  or  disposal  of  such  liquors  in  bona 
fide  commercial  hotels  within  the  limits  of  the  hotel  liquor 
license  district  described  as  follows,  to-wit: 

Boundaries  of  Hotel  Liquor  License  District: 

The  territory  lying  east  of  and  adjoining  Saloon  Pa¬ 
trol  District  Number  One,  particularly  defined  as  follows: 
Bounded  on  the  west  by  said  District  Number  One;  on  the 
north  by  the  south  margin  of  Denny  Way;  on  the  south 
by  King  Street  and  on  the  east  by  the  following,  to-wit: 
The  west  margin  of  the  alley  between  Fourth  and  Fifth 
Avenues  from  Denny  Way  southerly  to  one  hundred 
twenty  feet  north  of  Pine  Street;  thence  easterly  paral¬ 
lel  with  Pine  Street  to  the  west  margin  of  the  alley  be¬ 
tween  Sixth  and  Seventh  Avenues;  thence  southerly 
along  the  west  margin  of  said  alley  to  Yesler  Way; 
thence  east  to  the  west  margin  of  the  alley  between 
Maynard  Avenue  and  Seventh  Avenue  South ;  thence 
south  along  the  west  margin  of  said  alley  to  King  Street. 
Also  the  territory  lying  west  of  and  adjoining  Saloon 
Patrol  District  Number  One,  particularly  defined  as  fol¬ 
lows:  Bounded  on  the  north  by  a  line  parallel  with  and 
distant  one  hundred  twenty  feet  northerly  from  Madison 
Street;  on  the  west  by  the  easterly  margin  of  Railroad 
Avenue;  on  the  south  by  Yesler  Way,  and  on  the  east 
by  said  Saloon  Patrol  District  Number  One.  Also  all 
premises  with  frontages  upon  Second  Avenue  between 
Pike  Street  and  Pine  Street  and  all  premises  with  front¬ 
ages  upon  Jackson  Street  between  Third  Avenue  South 
and  Fifth  Avenue  South. 

The  authority  to  grant  such  licenses  within  the 
Hotel  Liquor  License  District  may  be  exercised  by  the 
City  Council  in  the  following  cases,  and  not  otherwise, 
namely:  Any  such  license  may  be  granted  only  for  a 
bona  fide  commercial  hotel,  in  which  adequate  and  gen¬ 
eral  provision  is  made  for  transient  guests,  and  which 
has  at  least  one  hundred  sleeping  rooms  in  use  for  hotel 
purposes,  all  under  a  single  management,  to  whom  the 
license,  if  granted,  shall  be  issued,  and  the  license  shall 
distinctly  prescribe  and  limit  the  sale  and  disposal  of 
liquor  authorized  under  it  to  a  defined  room  or  other  en¬ 
closed  portion  of  the  building,  having  no  frontage  upon 
or  direct  entrance  from  any  street  or  alley,  but  having 
its  entrance  solely  from  within  the  hotel,  and  there  shall 
be  no  sign  or  other  advertisement  or  designation  of  such 
licensed  location  exposed  so  as  to  be  read  from  any  street 
or  alley.  Every  such  license  within  the  Hotel  Liquor 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


00 


License  District  shall  distinctly  specify  the  terms  and 
restrictions  governing  and  controlling  the  same. 

(c)  Hereafter  no  license  shall  be  granted  within  the 
saloon  patrol  district  herein  described,  except  that  part 
of  District  Number  One  lying  along  and  east  of  Sixth 
Avenue  South  between  King  and  Hanford  Streets,  for  any 
premises  whereby  the  main  entrance  to  the  place  of  sell¬ 
ing  or  disposing  of  the  liquors  shall  be  on  any  alley. 

(d)  Within  the  saloon  patrol  districts  herein  de¬ 
scribed,  except  that  part  of  District  Number  One  lying 
along  and  east  of  Sixth  Avenue  South,  between  King  and 
Hanford  Streets,  no  liquor  license  of  any  kind  shall  here¬ 
after  be  granted  for  any  premises  situated  within  thirty 
feet  of  a  street  corner  (meaning  by  corner  the  intersec¬ 
tion  of  the  marginal  lines  of  two  streets)  except  for 
premises  for  which  valid  licenses  were  outstanding  and 
in  actual  use  on  January  first,  nineteen  hundred  and 
fourteen. 

(e)  No  liquor  license  of  any  kind  shall  be  granted 
for  any  premises  situated  within  thirty  feet  of  a  street 
corner  (as  defined  above)  at  any  of  the  following  street 
intersections,  namely:  Pike  Street  and  First  Avenue, 
Pike  Street  and  Second  Avenue,  Madison  Street  and  First 
Avenue,  Madison  Street  and  Second  Avenue,  James  Street 
and  Second  Avenue,  James  Street  and  Third  Avenue, 
Yesler  Way  and  Second  Avenue;  provided,  that  this  re¬ 
striction  shall  not  apply  to  any  basement  situated  at  any 
of  said  corners  whose  entrance  is  on  one  street  and  is 
distant  at  least  sixty  feet  from  the  corner,  such  basement 
having  no  entrance,  window  or  other  communication 
with  the  other  street. 

(f)  Within  the  saloon  patrol  districts  herein  de¬ 
scribed,  except  that  part  of  District  Number  One  lying 
along  and  east  of  Sixth  Avenue  South,  between  King  and 
Hanford  Streets,  no  license  shall  hereafter  be  granted 
which  shall  make  the  number  of  licensed  places  situated 
on  the  same  block  of  land  and  fronting  on  the  same 
street  exceed  two  (including  herein  basements  as  well 
as  other  premises  and  counting  all  kinds  of  liquor  li¬ 
censes)  except  that  in  cases  where  there  were  outstand¬ 
ing  on  January  first,  nineteen  hundred  and  fourteen, 
valid  licenses  for  more  than  two  licensed  places  situated 
on  the  same  block  of  land  and  fronting  on  the  same 
street,  the  City  Council  shall  have  the  same  discretion 
as  in  other  cases  to  continue  to  grant  licenses  hereafter 
for  the  precise  premises  so  in  use  under  such  licenses; 
provided,  that  when  by  reason  of  transfer  or  otherwise 
any  premises  falling  within  the  foregoing  exception  shall 


56 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


be  abandoned  as  a  place  for  selling  such  liquors,  or  be 
used  for  other  purpose,  said  exception  shall  no  longer 
apply  to  such  premises. 

(g)  The  aggregate  number  of  liquor  licenses  out¬ 
standing  in  the  city,  exclusive  of  hotel  licenses  within  the 
Hotel  Liquor  License  District,  and  exclusive  of  purely 
wholesale  licenses,  as  herein  defined,  shall  not  exceed 
three  hundred  and  fifteen  until  the  population  of  the  city 
exceeds  five  hundred  thousand. 

(h)  Every  liquor  license  shall  be  specific,  both  as 
to  the  person,  firm  or  corporation  licensed  and  as  to  the 
particular  premises  where  the  same  is  to  be  used,  and 
as  to  the  person  paying  for  the  same.  The  City  Council 
may,  in  its  discretion,  consent  to  the  transfer  of  any 
license  as  to  person  or  location,  but  no  license  shall  be 
transferred  to  any  location  except  one  for  which  such 
license  might  be  granted  under  these  charter  provisions. 

(i)  No  transfer  of  a  license,  either  as  to  person  or 
location,  shall  be  allowed  or  granted  without  the  written 
consent  of  the  person  or  corporation  who  has  paid  for 
the  license,  or  his  or  its  assignee.  Such  person  or  cor¬ 
poration  shall  be  designated  in  the  application  for  the 
license  or  in  an  assignm.ent  filed  with  the  City  Comp¬ 
troller. 

(j)  Every  grant  of  a  license  which  is  a  renewal  of 
a  license  theretofore  existing  for  premises  theretofore 
occupied  as  a  licensed  place  for  selling  liquors  shall  be 
made  in  the  name  of  the  actual  owner  of  the  existing 
license  or  with  the  written  consent  of  such  owner,  and 
any  person  paying  or  having  paid  the  license  fee  to  the 
city  for  any  license  shall  be  deemed  to  be  the  owner  of 
the  same  for  the  purposes  of  this  clause  and  the  last  pre¬ 
ceding  clause. 

(k)  No  liquor  license  shall  be  granted  for  a  longer 
period  than  one  year.  The  sum  required  for  any  liquor 
license  shall  in  no  case  be  less  than  one  thousand  dollars 
per  year  except  that  licenses  for  the  selling  or  giving 
ctway  or  other  disposal  of  such  liquors  at  wholesale  oniy, 
which  shall  be  known  as  wholesale  licenses,  shall  in  no 
case  be  less  than  four  hundred  fifty  dollars  per  year. 

A  wholesale  license  shall  in  no  case  authorize  or  per¬ 
mit  the  sale,  giving  away  or  other  disposal  of  liquor 
where  the  same  or  any  part  thereof  is  to  be  consumed 
on  the  premises  where  sold  or  otherwise  disposed  of,  or 
in  any  premises  used  in  connection  therewith,  and  under 
such  license  the  liquor  must  be  sold,  given  away  or  dis¬ 
posed  of  in  quantities  of  not  less  than  one  gallon,  if 


Charter  of  the  Cit'  of  Seattle 


57 


within  any  of  the  saloon  patrol  districts,  and  in  quan¬ 
tities  of  not  less  than  three  gallons,  if  outside  of  said 
districts.  Wholesale  licenses  outside  of  said  saloon  pa¬ 
trol  districts  shall  not  be  granted  except  to  manufac¬ 
turers  of  liquors  or  bottlers  thereof. 

The  sum  required  to  be  paid  for  any  liquor  license 
shall  in  no  case  be  less  than  the  amount  required  by  the 
general  laws  of  the  state  for  houses  or  business  of  like 
character,  and  all  license  fees  shall  be  collected  and  paid 
into  the  city  treasury  before  the  issuance  of  the  license, 
and  no  remission  of  any  such  license  fee  shall  be  made 
during  the  period  for  which  it  is  granted;  and  the  bond 
required  to  be  given  by  keepers  or  proprietors  of  saloons 
or  drinking  houses  shall  not  in  any  case  be  fixed  at  less 
than  two  thousand  dollars. 

(1)  Nothing  contained  in  any  of  the  provisions  re¬ 
lating  to  liquor  licenses  shall  be  construed  as  requiring 
the  City  Council  to  grant  any  license  whether  in  renewal 
of  a  previously  existing  license  or  otherwise  or  to  consent 
to  the  transfer  of  any  license. 

CLAIMS 

Section  147.  Neither  the  City  Council  nor  any  of¬ 
ficer,  board  or  authority  shall  allow,  make  valid  or  in  any 
manner  recognize  any  demand  against  the  city  which 
was  not  at  the  time* of  its  creation  a  valid  claim  against 
the  same,  nor  shall  they  or  any  of  them  ever  allow  or 
authorize  to  be  paid  any  demand  which,  without  such 
action,  would  be  invalid,  or  which  shall  then  be  barred 
by  any  statutes  of  limitation,  or  for  which  the  city  was 
never  liable,  and  any  such  action  shall  be  void. 

Section  148.  All  claims  for  injuries  to  the  person, 
or  for  damages  to  personal  property  alleged  to  have  been 
caused  or  sustained  by  reason  of  defects,  want  of  repair 
or  obstruction  of  any  of  the  highways,  streets,  alleys, 
sidewalks,  crosswalks,  or  public  ways,  or  in  any  of  the 
public  buildings  belonging  to,  possessed  or  controlled  by 
the  city,  shall  be  presented  in  writing  to  the  Council 
v/ithin  thirty  days  after  such  injuries  shall  be  alleged 
to  have  been  received.  Such  claim  shall  state  the  time, 
place,  cause,  nature  and  extent  of  the  alleged  injuries, 
so  far  as  practicable,  the  actual  residence  of  such  claim¬ 
ant  by  street  and  number  at  the  time  of  presenting  such 
claim  and  for  six  months  immediately  prior  to  the  time 
such  claim  for  damages  accrued,  and  shall  be  verified  by 
the  affidavit  of  the  claimant,  to  the  effect  that  the  same 
is  true.  The  omission  to  present  any  such  claim  in  the 
manner  or  within  the  time  in  this  section  provided  shall 
be  a  bar  to  an  action  against  the  city  therefor. 


58 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


CITY  OFFICIAL  NEWSPAPER 

Section  149.  The  city  may  establish  and,  under  the 
direction  of  the  City  Manager,  publish  and  circulate  an 
official  newspaper.  Any  and  all  matters  and  proceedings 
required  by  law,  charter  or  ordinance  to  be  published, 
shall  be  published  therein.  The  City  Council  shall  fix 
and  establish  advertising  and  subscription  rates  therefor. 
Nothing  shall  be  published  in  such  newspaper  unless  it 
pertains  strictly  to  the  city’s  business.  No  political  mat¬ 
ter  or  anything  which  advertises  or  calls  special  atten¬ 
tion  to  any  officer,  employe  or  department  of  the  city,  or 
to  any  candidate  for  office,  shall  be  published  therein. 
Until  such  city  newspaper  shall  be  established  and  pub¬ 
lished  a  newspaper  of  general  circulation  published  in 
the  city  shall  be  designated  by  contract  as  the  official 
newspaper. 


TIDE  LAND  STREETS 

Section  150.  All  streets,  avenues  and  other  public 
highways  heretofore  established  upon,  over  or  across  any 
tide  lands  within  the  City  of  Seattle,  or  into  the  waters 
of  Lake  Washington,  Lake  Union,  Green  Lake  or  other 
lakes,  streams  or  bodies  of  fresh  water  within  the  City 
of  Seattle,  either  under  and  by  virtue  of  the  constitution 
and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington  or  under  and  by 
virtue  of  any  charter  or  ordinance  of  the  City  of  Seattle, 
or  by  the  dedication  of  any  plat  within  the  city,  or  by  any 
other  lawful  authority  established  as  public  streets  or 
highways,  are  hereby  continued,  established  and  de¬ 
clared  to  be  public  streets  or  highways  of  the  City  of  Se¬ 
attle,  subject  to  the  same  power  of  the  city  to  control, 
improve  or  vacate  the  same  as  is  or  shall  be  provided 
for  other  public  streets  and  highways  within  the  city. 

Section  151.  Whenever  and  wherever  any  street  lo¬ 
cated  or  extended  or  to  be  located  or  extended  across  any 
harbor  area,  tide  lands  or  shore  lands  shall  be  within  any 
unit  of  the  comprehensive  scheme  of  harbor  improve¬ 
ment  now  or  hereafter  adopted  by  the  Port  Commission 
of  the  Port  of  Seattle  and  ratified  by  vote  of  the  people 
of  the  port  district  of  the  Port  of  Seattle,  the  control  of 
said  streets  and  the  title  to  any  lands  belonging  to  the 
city  which  shall  fall  within  the  limits  of  such  unit  shall 
pass  to  and  be  vested  in  the  Port  of  Seattle  at  the  expira¬ 
tion  of  thirty  days  after  the  said  Port  Commission  shall 
have  adopted  a  resolution  declaring  that  the  port  is  pre¬ 
pared  to  make  actual  use  of  the  same  by  the  improvement 
thereof  and  a  certified  copy  of  such  resolution  shall  have 
been  filed  with  the  City  Clerk;  provided,  that  as  to  any 
such  street  or  lands  there  is  nevertheless  reserved  to  the 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


59 


city  such  use  of  the  same  for  city  purposes  as  may  not 
render  impracticable  the  use  of  the  same  by  the  Port  of 
Seattle  for  commerce  and  navigation,  and,  provided  fur¬ 
ther  that,  if  prior  to  the  adoption  of  such  resolution,  the 
city  shall  have  improved  such  street  or  lands  the  same 
shall  not  so  pass  or  be  vested  unless  and  until  the  City 
Council  shall  have  adopted  an  ordinance  so  declaring. 

3IISCELLA1VE0US  SUBJECTS 

Section  152.  All  books  and  records  of  every  office 
and  department  shall  be  open  to  the  inspection  of  the 
public  at  any  time  during  business  hours.  Copies  or  ex¬ 
tracts  from  such  books  and  records,  duly  certified,  shall 
be  given  by  the  officer  having  the  same  in  custody  to  any 
person  demanding  the  same,  and  paying  such  fees  as  may 
be  prescribed  by  ordinance. 

Section  153.  Except  when  otherwise  provided  by 
law  or  this  charter,  all  public  offices  shall  be  kept  open 
for  business  every  day,  except  Sundays  and  legal  holi¬ 
days,  from  nine  o’clock  in  the  forenoon  until  five  o’clock 
in  the  afternoon. 

Section  154.  Every  officer  authorized  by  law  or  ordi¬ 
nance  to  allow,  audit  or  certify  demands  upon  the  treas¬ 
ury,  or  to  make  any  official  investigation,  shall  have 
power  to  administer  oaths  and  affirmations  and  take  and 
hear  testimony  concerning  any  matter  or  thing  relating 
thereto. 

Section  155.  Every  officer  who  shall  approve,  allow 
or  pay  any  demand  on  the  treasury  not  authorized  by 
law,  ordinance  or  this  charter,  shall  be  liable  to  the  city 
individually  and  on  his  official  bond  for  the  amount  paid 
by  the  city  upon  such  demand  in  excess  of  the  amount 
lawfully  due  from  the  city  thereon. 

Section  156.  Unless  otherwise  provided  by  law  or 
this  charter,  each  officer,  board  or  department  author¬ 
ized  to  appoint  any  deputy,  clerk,  assistant  or  employe, 
shall  have  the  right  to  remove  any  person  so  appointed. 

Section  157.  The  establishment  or  platting  of  new 
cemeteries,  the  extension  of  existing  cemeteries  and  the 
establishment  of  mausoleums  within  the  limits  of  the 
City  of  Seattle  is  hereby  prohibited. 

Section  158.  No  work  shall  be  done  by  the  city,  or 
any  officer  or  employe  thereof,  on  any  legal  holiday  or 
Sunday  by  way  of  construction  of  any  public  work,  nor 
shall  any  work  be  done  on  such  day,  or  between  seven 
o’clock  in  the  evening  of  any  day  and  six  o’clock  in  the 


€0 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


morning  of  the  following  day,  by  any  corpora.tion  or 
other  person  by  way  of  construction  or  removal  of  any 
structure  upon,  over,  under  or  along  any  street,  alley  or 
public  place  within  the  city,  except  in  case  of  extraor¬ 
dinary  emergency,  and  then  only  upon  the  written  per¬ 
mission  of  the  City  Manager.  In  case  of  violation  of  any 
provision  of  this  section  by  any  person  or  corporation 
owning  any  franchise  in,  over,  under  or  along  such  street, 
alley  or  other  public  place,  his  or  its  right,  title  and  in¬ 
terest  in  such  franchise  shall  thereby  be  forfeited.  In  no 
case  shall  any  corporation  or  person  be  permitted  to 
commence  the  construction  of  any  street  or  other  rail¬ 
road,  telegraph,  telephone,  electric  light  line  or  other 
public  utility  in  the  city  without  first  obtaining  a  permit 
therefor  from  the  City  Manager. 

Section  159.  Every  officer  or  agent  of  the  city,  who 
shall  have  received  or  have  any  money  belonging  to  the 
city,  shall  immediately  pay  over  the  same  to  the  City 
Treasurer.  If  such  officer  or  agent  shall  fail  to  pay  over 
such  money  to  the  City  Treasurer  within  forty-eight 
hours  after  receiving  the  same,  he  shall  be  liable  to  the 
city  in  double  such  amount. 

Section  160.  A  contingent  fund  may  be  established 
and  maintained  with  which  to  pay  discharged  city  em¬ 
ployes,  freight  and  express  charges,  telegrams,  postage 
and  other  incidental  expenses. 

Section  161.  Each  department,  bureau,  division  and 
office  shall  make  annual  and  such  other  reports  to  the 
City  Council  as  it  may  prescribe  by  ordinance. 

Section  162.  Every  officer  or  employe  of  the  city, 
whose  duty  it  shall  be  to  enforce  any  law  or  ordinance,  or 
any  rule  or  regulation  of  a  department,  shall  be  vested 
with  police  power. 

Section  16.3.  All  moneys  possessed  by  and  revenues 
accruing  to  the  city  during  the  year  nineteen  hundred 
and  fifteen  shall  continue  to  be  accounted  for  in  and  to 
be  disbursed  from  the  various  funds  existing  at  the  time 
this  charter  shall  take  effect  until  such  time  or  times  as,  in 
the  course  of  administration  and  reorganization,  new 
funds  shall  be  created  by  budget  or  otherwise  established. 
When  such  new  funds  are  established  the  balances,  in 
funds  replaced  or  discontinued,  shall  be  credited  by 
transfer  or  apportionment  to  the  new  funds  to  which 
such  balances  shall  be  assigned. 

Section  164.  All  ordinances  in  force  at  the  time  this 
charter  shall  go  into  effect,  and  not  inconsistent  there¬ 
with,  shall  remain  in  force  until  repealed  or  until  they 
expire  by  limitation. 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


61 


Section  165.  The  present  charter  of  the  City  of  Se¬ 
attle  is  hereby  repealed  to  take  effect  on  the  fifteenth 
day  of  March,  1915. 

Section  166.  All  provisions  of  this  charter  with  ref¬ 
erence  to  nominations  and  elections  shall  be  in  force 
from  and  after  the  first  day  of  January,  1915.  All  other 
provisions  of  this  charter  shall  become  effective  at  twelve 
o’clock,  noon,  on  the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1915.  At  the 
general  municipal  election  to  be  held  on  the  first  Tuesday 
after  the  first  Monday  in  March,  1915,  a  Mayor  and  thirty 
Councilmen  shall  be  elected.  Nominations  for  such  of¬ 
ficers  shall  be  made  and  such  election  shall  be  conducted 
in  all  respects  as  in  this  charter  provided,  and  upon  the 
election  and  qualification  of  said  Mayor  and  Councilmen 
the  terms  of  the  present  Mayor  and  of  all  the  members 
of  the  present  City  Council  shall  cease  and  terminate  on 
the  fifteenth  day  of  March,  1915,  at  twelve  o’clock,  noon, 
but  all  other  officers,  subordinate  officers  and  employes 
of  the  City  of  Seattle  shall  continue  in  office  and  in  the 
performance  of  their  duties  until  their  successors  are  ap¬ 
pointed  and  qualified  under  the  provisions  of  this  char¬ 
ter.  It  is  the  express  intention  hereby  to  continue  the 
existing  city  government  of  the  City  of  Seattle,  except 
as  to  matters  pertaining  to  the  nomination  and  election 
of  officers  under  this  charter,  until  the  first  election  and 
qualification  of  officers  as  in  this  charter  provided,  but 
no  longer. 


A3IEND3IENTS 

Section  167.  The  City  Council  may  propose  and 
submit  to  the  electors  of  the  city  any  amendment  to  this 
charter  at  any  general  municipal  election  to  be  held  at 
least  sixty  days  after  the  adoption  by  the  Council  of  the 
resolution  of  submission.  Any  amendment  shall  also  be 
submitted  to  the  voters  upon  the  petition  of  qualified 
electors  equal  in  number  to  fifteen  per  cent  of  the  votes 
cast  at  the  last  preceding  municipal  election,  which  peti¬ 
tion  shall  be  filed  with  the  City  Clerk  at  least  ninety 
days  before  the  next  general  municipal  election  and  shall 
be  checked  by  him  in  the  manner  provided  for  initiative 
ordinances;  provided,  that  prior  to  the  circulation  of  said 
petition  for  signatures,  it  shall  be  submitted  to  the  Cor¬ 
poration  Counsel,  who  shall  attach  thereto  his  opinion 
as  to  its  legality.  Any  amendment  so  proposed,  either 
by  the  City  Council  or  by  petition,  shall  be  published  in 
the  manner  provided  by  law.  If  any  such  proposed 
amendment  is  approved  by  a  majority  of  the  electors  vot¬ 
ing  thereon,  it  shall  become  a  part  of  this  charter;  pro¬ 
vided,  that  if  more  than  one  amendment  is  submitted  at 


62 


Charter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


the  same  election  the  same  shall  be  submitted  in  such 
manner  that  each  may  be  voted  upon  separately. 


ALTERNATE  PROPOSITION  NO.  1 

The  following  separate  alternate  proposition  shall 
be  submitted  to  the  people  for  adoption  or  rejection  at 
the  election  to  be  held  upon  the  submission  of  this 
charter : 

Alternate  Proposition  Number  One:  “Provided, 

however,  that  if  the  proposed  franchise  be  for  an  exten¬ 
sion  of  an  existing  system  in  a  residence  district,  and 
does  not  include  any  trunk  line  or  canyon  route,  the  City 
Council,  in  its  discretion,  may  grant  the  franchise  with¬ 
out  the  provision  for  common  user  trackage  facilities  and 
appurtenances,  and  without  the  reservation  that  said 
grant  is  subject  to  the  right  of  the  City  Council  or  the 
people  of  the  city  acting  for  themselves  by  the  initiative 
and  referendum,  at  any  time  subsequent  to  the  grant,  to 
repeal,  amend  or  modify  the  said  grant  with  due  regard 
to  the  rights  of  the  grantee  and  the  interest  of  the 
public.” 

If  said  proposed  charter  is  adopted  at  said  election, 
and  a  majority  of  the  ballots  cast  at  said  election  on 
said  alternate  proposition  number  one  be  in  favor  of  its 
adoption,  then  such  alternate  proposition  number  one 
shall  become  a  part  of  section  144  of  said  charter,  at  the 
end  of  paragraph  two  thereof  as  indicated  in  said 
charter. 


Cliarter  of  the  City  of  Seattle 


(S'- 

CERTIFICATE 

STATE  OF  WASHINGTON,  ] 

COUNTY  OF  KING,  l-SS. 

CITY  OF  SEATTLE.  J  . 

We,  the  undersigned  freeholders  of  the  City  of  Seat¬ 
tle,  elected  at  the  general  municipal  election  held  in  said 
city  on  the  3d  day  of  March,  1914,  under  the  provisions  of 
the  constitution  and  laws  of  the  State  of  Washington,  to 
prepare  a  new  charter  by  altering,  changing,  revising, 
adding  to  or  repealing  the  existing  charter  of  the  City  of 
Seattle,  do  hereby  certify  that  the  foregoing  charter  has 
been  prepared  by  us  and  is  hereby  submitted  as  the  char¬ 
ter  for  said  city. 

IN  WITNESS  WHEREOF,  we  have  hereunto  set  our 
hands  this  2d  day  of  May,  A.  D.  1914. 

WM.  HICKMAN  MOORE, 

Chairman. 

O.  B.  THORGRIMSON, 

Secretary. 

W.  A.  MAJOR, 

WILLIAM  M.  CALHOUN, 

C.  J.  ERICKSON, 

A.  V.  BOUILLON, 

T.  S.  LIPPY, 

ELMER  E.  TODD, 

JOSIAH  COLLINS, 

JAS.  B.  EAGLESON, 

WM.  PITT  TRIMBLE. 


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